By Tayo Olatunji

The parents of a Nigerian student convicted of robbery and blackmail in the United Kingdom have appealed to authorities to review the verdict, insisting that their son was wrongly convicted and is innocent of all charges.

Mr. Aderinkola Akinrinola and Mrs. Olayinka Akinrinola made the appeal in a statement made available to The Guardian in Ibadan following the conviction of their son, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, by a UK court on June 19, 2026. He is currently being held at a prison in Nottingham pending sentencing scheduled for July 27.

The distraught parents alleged that the conviction was based largely on circumstantial evidence and their son’s association with the principal suspect in the case.

According to them, the prosecution’s case relied mainly on a photograph showing Oluwatobiloba with the prime suspect, Richile Vagnu, and CCTV footage that captured him entering the venue where the robbery occurred on November 21, 2025.

They explained that their son met Vagnu shortly after resuming studies as a first-year student at Leicester University in September 2025 and described their relationship as that of acquaintances rather than close associates.

“Our son was present at the party where the incident took place, but he was never involved in the robbery,” the parents stated.

They claimed that some of the victims testified in court that Oluwatobiloba was not among those who robbed them and that he briefly entered the room where the incident occurred, questioned what was happening, and left after making it clear he did not want to be involved.

The parents further argued that none of the items allegedly stolen from the victims, including jackets and footwear, were recovered from their son’s apartment during police searches.

They also maintained that investigators found evidence of money transfers made by victims to accounts linked to other suspects but found no such transactions in their son’s bank records.

Questioning the outcome of the trial, the family expressed concern that some suspects identified during the investigation were not prosecuted despite allegations linking them more directly to the incident.

“The court insists our son is guilty, yet other suspects were allowed to go free. One of them was identified by victims as having prevented them from leaving the room where the robbery occurred,” they said.

The parents also alleged that CCTV footage presented during the trial did not place their son at the scene of the alleged robbery, apart from showing him arriving at the party.

According to them, police were unable to produce some of the suspects in court, reportedly because they failed to honour invitations.

The family further claimed that one of the victims testified that Oluwatobiloba appeared to be trying to assist those affected rather than participating in the crime.

They disclosed that shortly after the incident, their son came across a social media video that allegedly linked him to the attack. Concerned about the allegations, he reportedly contacted the police voluntarily and offered to present himself for questioning.

According to the parents, officers informed him at the time that he was not considered a suspect.

Describing their son as a peaceful and sociable young man with no previous criminal record, the couple appealed to the UK authorities to re-examine the case.

“We are devastated. Our son is about to suffer for a crime he did not commit. We want the world to hear our side of the story and for the UK government to review the case,” they said.

The family called on relevant authorities, legal institutions and human rights organisations to look into the circumstances surrounding the conviction and ensure that justice is served.