Joshua Oladele, a Nigerian national, and his accomplices, Micah Hines and Ali Alamiri, have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of 25-year-old Hamza Iqbal in London.
Iqbal was chased and stabbed 23 times in a revenge attack on Wembley Way on September 24 last year.
The three attackers, all 21, were avenging a prior stabbing of 28-year-old Dontae Smicle, who had been attacked 11 days earlier.
The attack occurred around 11 pm when Iqbal and his friends were ambushed by the three men, who were armed with machetes.
Smicle, who was involved in gang activities, had directed the attack. After picking up the attackers, Smicle drove them to the scene. Witnesses reported seeing the men, wearing hoodies and balaclavas, preparing for the assault.
Judge Rosa Dean of Snaresbrook Crown Court described the attack as part of a gang dispute and noted the horrific nature of the crime, with Oladele and Hines joining in the stabbing as Iqbal lay on the ground. Iqbal died at Northwick Park Hospital about an hour later.
Iqbal’s family, deeply affected by his death, remembered him as a beloved family member and a passionate Arsenal fan.
The attackers initially claimed they were only trying to scare Iqbal’s group under Smicle’s instructions but were found guilty of a premeditated killing.
Oladele was sentenced to life with a minimum of 28 years, Hines with a minimum of 25 years, and Alamiri with a minimum of 24 years.
