A Nigerian national, Lekan Akinsoji, alongside his accomplice, Sundjata Keita, both aged 27 and residents of Forest Gate, have been handed life sentences for the fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Ahmed Deen-Jah in East London.
Akinsoji, who is a drill rapper, was ordered to serve a minimum term of 28 years, while Keita will serve at least 22 years, following their conviction for murder at the Old Bailey.
According to the court, on 2 April 2017, both men, dressed in black clothing, balaclavas, and gloves, embarked on a premeditated “gang ride-out” before pursuing Deen-Jah into an off-licence near Custom House station, where Akinsoji stabbed him in the heart. The victim, known on the streets as Grinna, was pronounced dead at the scene, only a few metres away from his home.
Prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC stated, “This killing was not a spontaneous act of violence but an attack planned against a background of street violence between two east London gangs.”
Ten days before the murder, Akinsoji featured in a music video titled Armed and Ready, where he rapped, “No face, no case, no evvy (evidence).”
Ahmed’s father, Abubakar Jah, who migrated to the United Kingdom from Sierra Leone in 1995, said the tragedy had devastated his family. “Four years after this, having had no justice in Ahmed’s case, my younger son Junior was also murdered in April 2021… Losing both of my sons has caused the most unbearable hurt and pain,” he said.
His mother, Hawa Deen Conteh, stated that the family had been permanently changed by the “senseless act of violence”, adding, “We hope no other family has to experience the heartache and suffering that we have endured.”
Keita chose not to testify during the trial.
