London drill artist Lekan Akinsoji, commonly known as CB, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 2017 fatal stabbing of gang rival Ahmed Deen-Jah in East London.

Akinsoji, 27, from Forest Gate, was convicted alongside his accomplice and fellow Woodgrange gang member Sundjata Keita, also 27, known as SK.

During the trial, the court heard that the pair jumped out of their stolen black Mercedes and chased 21-year-old Deen-Jah into BJ Wines off licence near Custom House station on the afternoon of 2 April 2017, before killing him in what his father described as “the most brutal way”.

The court was also told that the pair dressed in black, wearing balaclavas and gloves, when they set out on what prosecutors described as a “gang ride-out” against the Custom House gang, of which Deen-Jah was a member.

During the course of the attack, Akinsoji fatally stabbed Deen-Jah in the heart before fleeing the scene with Keita. Emergency services were called, but Deen-Jah, known locally as Grinna, was pronounced dead at the scene a mere 130 metres from his home.

Adding to Deen-Jah’s parents’ unbearable hurt and pain, his father Abubakar Jah, who came to live in the UK from Sierra Leone in 1995 in pursuit of a better life, told the court that they were also grieving for his younger brother Junior, who was senselessly killed in 2021.

Abubakar Jah stated:

“Four years after this, having had no justice in Ahmed’s case, my younger son Junior was also murdered in April 2021, again this was in close proximity to where Ahmed was murdered.”

The young men’s mother, Hawa Deen Conteh, said the family had been forever changed by the “senseless act of violence” that led to their oldest son’s death.

Having sat through two separate murder trials for both of her sons, she said that her grief was “indescribable” and added:

“In seeking justice, we pray the court recognises the depth of our loss and the enduring and devastating impact this tragedy has had on our family…

We hope no other family has to experience the heartache and suffering that we have endured.”

Akinsoji was no stranger to violence and had rapped on a video entitled “Armed and Ready” just ten days before launching the vicious attack.

In the song, Akinsoji raps of his intention not to get caught for his crimes, saying:

“No face, no case, no evvy (evidence)”.

Despite this, evidence piled up on him for this crime and others, as just a year later Akinsoji was armed with a shotgun while wearing a clown mask during another gangland ride-out in Leytonstone, East London. He was arrested following a police chase and sentenced to 20 years for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and for possession of a firearm.

Prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC had previously told jurors:

“This killing was not a spontaneous act of violence, but an attack planned against a background of street violence between two east London gangs…

Those in the black Mercedes had been on a ‘ride-out’ - driving to an opposing gang’s area looking for rival gang members, or perceived members, to attack.”

On Friday, as the grief-stricken family joined the courtroom for sentencing, Judge Anthony Leonard KC jailed the duo for life, with a minimum term of 28 years for Akinsoji and 22 years for Keita.

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