United Kingdom-based Nigerian teenager, Emmanuel Popoola, and his accomplice, Tayvon Etefia, have been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years each for the murder of 18-year-old Keanu Harker.
PUNCH Metro had previously reported that Harker was shot dead by Popoola in Enfield following a dispute over comments made in a Snapchat group chat.
The London Metropolitan Police had stated that Popoola and Etefia tracked Harker on an electric bike before carrying out a drive-by shooting on June 26, 2025.
According to the police, the attack was triggered after Popoola became enraged by comments in a Snapchat group chat mocking him for allegedly not having mobile data.
In an update obtained from the Metropolitan Police website on Sunday, authorities stated that the pair were jailed for life at the Old Bailey after they were convicted of murder on July 6, following a six-week trial.
The statement added, “At the same court on Friday, 10 July, they were both detained for life and ordered to serve a minimum tariff of 28 years.
“On Monday, 6 July, Eliezer Mbaki, 25, Anais King, 19, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were convicted of perverting the course of justice.
Mbaki was sentenced to four years and nine months at the Old Bailey on Friday, 10 July.”
The statement quoted the victim’s family as saying that although the convictions had brought a measure of justice, no prison sentence could make up for the loss of their son.
“Our son had just turned 18 when these individuals decided to take his life.
We are grateful that some measure of justice has been served, but no amount of time they spend in prison will ever be enough for us. We have been left with a lifetime of pain and loss that can never be undone,” the family said.
The family added that they hoped the case would expose the devastating consequences of gang violence.
“We hope this case opens people’s eyes to how damaging gang culture has become for young people. Too many children are losing their lives, and too many families are being left to suffer unimaginable heartbreak.
“Something must change before more young lives are taken, and more parents are forced to endure the pain that we now live with every day,” the statement quoted.
Commenting on the outcome of the case, the Metropolitan Police quoted the lead investigator, Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card, as describing the murder as another reminder of the dangers of serious youth violence.
“This is a tragic case that yet again demonstrates why our commitment to tackling serious violence is so important,” Card said.
According to her, the investigation established that Harker was murdered because his killers took offence at comments exchanged in a social media group chat.
“Our painstaking investigation established that Keanu was murdered because his killers took offence to something that was said in a social media group chat.
“Rather than ignore the comments, Emmanuel Popoola armed himself with a pistol and, with the help of Tayvon Etefia, carried out a drive-by shooting. This was cowardly and disproportionate violence that has understandably shocked the community.
“We spent months building a comprehensive case against the killers and those who tried to help them, and I am pleased to have been able to secure justice for Keanu’s family,” she said.
The Metropolitan Police had earlier disclosed that Popoola fled to France after the shooting, while Etefia was arrested aboard a train at London’s St Pancras International Station just two minutes before it departed for Paris.
Popoola was subsequently arrested in Paris in a joint operation by British and French law enforcement authorities before being extradited to the United Kingdom to face trial.
By: Johnson Idowu
