The pair, both aged 27, appeared at the Old Bailey today (October 24) for sentencing in relation to the 2017 crime.
A murder investigation was launched on April 2, 2017, after the Metropolitan Police were called with reports of an incident inside a convenience shop on Freemasons Road.
CCTV footage showed 24-year-old Ahmed Deen-Jah entering the shop to buy a cigarette lighter at around 3.20pm.
He returned less than a minute later, this time followed by a man wearing a balaclava.
Ahmed was then chased around the shop before he was stabbed, with his attacker running away.
The 24-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lekan Akinsoji of no fixed address and Sundjata Keita of St Margarets Court, Cruickshank Road E15, were first arrested within eight days of Ahmed’s murder.
The pair were later released under investigation.
In 2023 an investigation review involving detailed phone analysis placed Keita’s phone inside the car used around the time of the murder.
The vehicle was found to have travelled to Epping Forest after the crime, where it was later found on fire.
Evidence from a knife sheath found near to the scene and DNA findings from Ahmed’s hand showed a match for both men’s DNA, leading to their rearrest on October 25 last year.
They were later charged with murder.
During the trial, the court heard how Ahmed’s murder was the result of “tit for tat” violence between gangs, with both men driving around the area in a stolen car in search for people they suspected to be in a rival gang.
It was Akinsoji that was found to have ambushed Ahmed inside the shop.
READ MORE: Tributes to basketball coach described as ‘heart’ of London team
Both men received life sentences, with Akinsoji jailed for a minimum term of 28 years, while Keita received a minimum term of 22 years.
Det Supt Kelly Allen said: “I hope the long sentences provide some measure of closure to Ahmed’s family, who have waited almost a decade for justice.
“Akinsoji and Keita launched a cold-blooded and unprovoked attack. Worse still, they then sought to evade the law – and were able to do so until 2023, when damning forensic evidence came to light.”
