The parents of a Nigerian undergraduate convicted of robbery and blackmail in the United Kingdom have called for an urgent review of the court verdict, insisting their son is a victim of guilt by association rather than evidence.

Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, a first-year student at the University of Leicester, was found guilty by a UK court over a robbery that allegedly took place at a student party in November 2025. He is being held in a Nottingham prison pending sentencing.

In a detailed statement issued in Ibadan, Oyo State, his parents, Mr Aderinkola and Mrs Olayinka Akinrinola, argued that the conviction rests on circumstantial evidence and their son’s acquaintance with the alleged ringleader, identified as Richile Vagnu.

They said Oluwatobiloba met Vagnu only weeks after arriving in the UK for his studies and maintained that they were not close friends. According to the family, the prosecution relied mainly on a photograph of the two together and CCTV footage showing Oluwatobiloba entering the venue of the party.

The parents stressed that several victims told the court that Oluwatobiloba was not among those who robbed them. They said he briefly entered the room where the robbery was taking place, questioned what was happening and left, stating he wanted no part in it.

They further claimed that police investigations showed money had been transferred by victims to accounts linked to other suspects, including Vagnu and another man named as Ayomide Ibraheem, but no such transfers were traced to their son’s bank account. None of the stolen items, such as jackets and footwear, was allegedly found in his possession.

The family also maintained that CCTV footage presented in court did not place him inside the room where the robbery occurred, beyond his arrival at the party. They questioned why other suspects identified by victims were not produced in court, saying police claimed they failed to honour invitations.

According to the parents, one victim even testified that Oluwatobiloba appeared to be trying to help those affected rather than participating in the crime.

They added that after a social media video linked him to the attack, their son voluntarily contacted the police to clear his name and was initially told he was not a suspect.

Describing him as a calm, sociable young man with no prior criminal record, the Akinrinolas appealed to UK authorities, legal bodies and human rights organisations to re-examine the case and ensure what they called a grave miscarriage of justice is corrected.