A 19-year-old man who fled to Nigeria after a fatal stabbing in south-east London has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being arrested on his return to the United Kingdom (UK).
Jackson Uwagboe was convicted at the Old Bailey for the murder of Robert Robinson, 21, as well as robbery and possession of a bladed article.
The court ordered that the Nigerian must serve a minimum of 21 years in prison before he can be considered for release.
In a statement published on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police said Uwagboe of Hamilton Street in Lewisham was responsible for the killing, which followed a dispute over a stolen bicycle in Deptford.
Prosecutors told the court that the victim was part of a group that went to a nearby address in an attempt to recover the stolen bicycle.
Shortly afterwards, Uwagboe and two associates — Ryan Wedderburn and Kirk Harris — left the property armed with machetes and confronted the group on Carteret Way.
According to the police, Robinson was chased and attacked and later died at the scene.
The police disclosed that Wedderburn and Harris were convicted of Robinson’s murder at the Old Bailey last year, and each received life sentences, with minimum jail terms of 23 years and 22 years and nine months respectively.
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The court also heard that another defendant, Eromosele Omoluogbe, helped Uwagboe escape after the killing by buying him a flight to Lagos and driving him to Heathrow Airport. Omoluogbe has since been convicted of perverting the course of justice and is awaiting sentence.
The police revealed that Uwagboe was arrested when he returned to the UK in February 2025 at Gatwick Airport.
Police said detectives relied on extensive CCTV footage, phone and financial records, and forensic evidence to reconstruct the movements of those involved and link weapons to the attackers, adding that one of the knives used in the case was later recovered from the River Thames.
Detective Inspector Neil Tovey, who led the investigation, said the verdicts brought justice for the victim’s family and warned that anyone who helps violent offenders evade arrest would face the full weight of the law.
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