London Teen Who Fled to Nigeria After Brutal ‘Bike Dispute’ Murder Handed Life Sentence

A 19-year-old fugitive who thought a flight to Lagos could wash away the blood of a “vicious” London stabbing has learned the hard way that justice has a very long reach. Jackson Uwagboe was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday at the Old Bailey, bringing a close to a international manhunt that spanned two continents.

The horror began in June 2024 in Deptford, South-East London, when a trivial row over a stolen bicycle escalated into a death sentence for 21-year-old Robert Robinson. Prosecutors described a “savage” scene where Uwagboe and two other teenagers cornered an unarmed Robinson, stabbing him 12 times even as he lay helpless on the pavement.

While his accomplices were rounded up by the Metropolitan Police, Uwagboe pulled off a desperate vanishing act. With the help of a friend who booked him a last-minute ticket to Nigeria, he slipped through Heathrow Airport just hours after the killing. However, the “State of Harmony” he sought in Nigeria was short-lived. Following a relentless investigation involving hundreds of hours of CCTV and DNA tracking, Uwagboe was nabbed at Gatwick Airport the moment he stepped back onto British soil in February 2025.

“Robert was subjected to a brutal and sustained attack by a group of men armed with knives,” Detective Inspector Neil Tovey said following the sentencing. “Uwagboe’s decision to flee the country significantly prolonged the family’s search for justice, but today, that search is over.”

The judge ruled that Uwagboe must serve at least 21 years behind bars before he can even sniff the air of freedom. His friend, Eromosele Omoluogbe, who played “travel agent” for the murderer by driving him to the airport and booking his ₦2.3 million flight to Lagos, is also facing a lengthy jail term for perverting the course of justice. For the Robinson family, the life sentence marks the end of a painful double-trial ordeal caused by Uwagboe’s failed attempt to outrun the law.