A United Kingdom-based Nigerian woman , Mrs Olayinka Akinrinola, has appealed to British authorities to review the conviction of her son, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, saying that he was wrongly found guilty of robbery despite CCTV evidence and conflicting witness testimonies.
Speaking in an interview with the press on Saturday, Mrs Akinrinola whthe founder of the Olayinka Akinrinola Foundation said her son’s conviction was a miscarriage of justice and urged authorities to re-examine the evidence before his sentencing scheduled for July 27.
According to her, the incident that led to her son’s arrest began after he attended a students’ party on November 21, 2025, where a dispute reportedly broke out over a stolen pair of shoes.
Mrs Akinrinola speaks on how a British Court ignored CCTV evidence, wrongly convicted her Son
She explained that Oluwatobiloba, a first-year undergraduate at the University of Leicester, merely entered the apartment after hearing a commotion, observed what was happening and left because he had no interest in the altercation.
The following day, she said, her son visited a location known as Tannery after being invited by acquaintances. She maintained that another suspect later confirmed in court that Oluwatobiloba was outside making a phone call when the alleged robbery occurred.
Akinrinola said her son voluntarily contacted the police after a TikTok influencer circulated allegations describing him as a robber. She claimed the police initially informed him that he was not a suspect and advised him not to worry about the online accusations.
However, on December 3, 2025, he was arrested. According to his mother, police confiscated his belongings, including trainers, an iPad, a jacket and watches. He was later remanded before securing bail under strict conditions, including electronic monitoring and regular reporting.
She alleged that the subsequent two-week trial, which ended on June 19, was unfair.
According to her, six prosecution witnesses gave contradictory testimonies, with only half claiming her son was present during the incident while the others said he was not.
She also argued that none of the witnesses accused him of carrying out any robbery, adding that they merely assumed he was associated with one of the alleged attackers because he was seen asking the attacker to stop assaulting people.
Akinrinola further claimed that CCTV footage presented in court identified another individual, Ayomide Ibrahim, as the person who entered and left the premises with the victims’ belongings. She said another suspect known as Tekz was also captured leaving with stolen jackets but was never arrested.
She noted that Ibrahim was eventually discharged and acquitted, while money allegedly linked to other suspects was traced to their bank accounts, with no financial evidence connecting her son to the crime.
The distraught mother also alleged that her family had previously experienced racial discrimination in the UK, recalling that she once received £2,000 compensation after successfully suing over a racist assault.
She said her son had also previously been subjected to racial abuse and false accusations.
Describing the conviction as traumatic, Akinrinola maintained that her son neither possessed a weapon nor participated in the robbery and should not be held responsible for offences allegedly committed by others.
“I want my son released from prison. It is traumatic and depressing to watch my son suffer for crimes he did not commit,” she said.
She appealed to British authorities and relevant institutions to review all available CCTV footage and free her son, insisting that the real perpetrators were either acquitted or never prosecuted while an innocent young man now faces a lengthy prison sentence.
