Convicted killer of UK-based Nigerian knows fate July 13

A 23-year-old man, Ben Wazabanga, has been found guilty of murdering a United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Ayowale Aladejana, and will be sentenced on July 13.

The UK Metropolitan Police disclosed this in a statement on Friday following Wazabanga’s conviction by a jury at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

The police said Wazabanga, of Fairfax Road, Bedford, murdered the 26-year-old Nigerian in New Cross, London, after a dispute over money.

According to investigators, extensive CCTV footage, phone analysis and vehicle tracking evidence established that Wazabanga deliberately travelled from Bedford to confront Aladejana before fatally stabbing him.

The statement read, “On Thursday, 11 June, a jury at Southwark Crown Court found Ben Wazabanga, 23, guilty of murdering 26-year-old Ayowale Aladejana.

“Through extensive CCTV and phone analysis, officers were able to build a strong and compelling case. They established that Wazabanga had turned against Aladejana, his former business associate, in a dispute over money.

“Fuelled by anger, he planned to confront him and armed himself with a knife, which he later used to kill Aladejana.”

The police noted that officers were called to a residential address on Monson Road, New Cross, on August 2, 2025, following reports of a stabbing.

It added that emergency responders from the London Ambulance Service and London Air Ambulance treated Aladejana at the scene, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

“A post-mortem examination took place on Sunday, 3 August, and gave a preliminary cause of death as a stab wound to the chest,” the statement added.

The Metropolitan Police further explained that investigators swiftly reviewed CCTV footage in the area and identified a vehicle that had been parked outside the victim’s home before fleeing the scene.

According to the police, armed officers later intercepted the vehicle near Waterloo Bridge in central London and arrested Wazabanga after he allegedly attempted to flee while carrying a knife.

The statement added that Automatic Number Plate Recognition data showed that the convict drove approximately 50 miles from Bedford to New Cross to confront Aladejana, while phone records revealed his grievance against the victim and his plans before the attack.

Commenting on the conviction, the lead investigator, Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card, described the killing as a calculated and avoidable act of violence.

“This was a calculated and brutal attack, with Wazabanga driving a considerable distance to accost Aladejana at his home and cause him harm.

“Both the responding officers and subsequent detectives worked tirelessly, examining CCTV and phone data, to piece together the timeline that led to Aladejana’s death.

“This was a truly tragic and avoidable incident. We established that Wazabanga alone used the knife to kill Aladejana, and I hope that today’s conviction will bring Aladejana’s loved ones a measure of comfort as they continue to grieve his loss,” Card said.

The police stated that Wazabanga would be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, July 13.

PUNCH Metro reports that Aladejana’s killing is one of several cases involving Nigerians who have lost their lives in violent incidents in the United Kingdom.

In June 2026, our correspondent reported that a Congolese national, Benjamin Katabana, was convicted of murdering UK-based Nigerian student Uchenna Okirie, popularly known as “Uche”, following a fatal stabbing at a shared accommodation in Norwich, England.

The Norfolk Police had said Katabana launched a sustained knife attack on Okirie in November 2025 before handing himself in to officers and telling them, “I have killed someone, I think.”

Similarly, PUNCH Metro recently reported that two Nigerian men, Maxwell Oguanaya and Chibueze Chukwurah, were remanded in custody by separate UK courts over the death of another Nigerian, Taiwo Ekerin, who died following an alleged assault in Lewisham, London.

The incidents have continued to raise concerns among Nigerians in the diaspora over violent crimes involving members of their communities abroad.