Nigerian Coach Jailed Over Sexual Assualt

A Nigerian football coach, Emmanuel Igwebuike, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexually abusing seven teenage boys in the United Kingdom.

The 35-year-old was sentenced by the Inner London Crown after it found him guilty of 22 counts of sexual assault, and also handed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

Emmanuel, who will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for life assaulted victims between the ages of 14 and 18 years in between June 2019 and April 2021.

The sexual assaults were reported to have taken place at his former addresses in Lambeth and Putney, as well as at a hotel in Birmingham.

Police said, none of the boys knew of abuse to the others and thought they were the only ones being sexually assaulted at the time of the offences being committed.

Although he was charged with assaulting seven boys, police said that at the time the allegations were levelled against him, the names of other possible victims and witnesses to Igwebuike’s crimes were mentioned. Police are now urging anyone else who was a victim to come forward.

Detective Constable Elaine Hutton, from the Met’s specialist crime command, said:“These offences committed by Igwebuike are of an extremely serious nature. They have had a significant impact on the life of the young victims and especially their families who trusted him and were subject to his manipulation.

“I would like to thank them all for their bravery during this investigation.

“We are keen to establish whether there are other victims of Igwebuike who have yet to come forward. Anyone who believes they were a victim of Igwebuike is asked to contact police.”