Emmanuel Ogabi

Unsolved Murders

Age: 26

Sex: male

Date: 21 Oct 2021

Place: Sandy Hill Road, Woolwich

Emmanuel Ogabi was stabbed to death in Sandy Hill Road, Woolwich, on 20 October 2021 and was found dead the following morning.

A man was tried for his murder but acquitted at the Central Criminal Court in January 2023.

The man had been arrested and charged with two other people, but the two other people were released earlier following applications by the defence to dismiss.

Following the acquittal, the police released images of several people that they were trying to identify in relation to his murder.

The three people charged had been:

20-year-old male, Windmill Close, Blackheath.
23-year-old male, Bromley Gardens, Dunstable.
26-year-old male, Boone Street, Lewisham.

Emmanuel Ogabi was pronounced dead at the scene at about 7.48am on 21 October 2021 after a man reported finding a collapsed man in the street. It was thought he had been stabbed some hours before, around 11.40pm on 20 October 2021, and left for dead.

He was murdered a few yards from his own door.

His post mortem found his cause of death to be a single stab wound. It was thought that he had been chased down an alley by a group of men. CCTV footage was found showing him being surrounded by a group of unknown men.

The police appealed for information, saying:

We are specifically appealing for anyone who was in Burridge Place or Sandy Hill Road from 11.40pm to 11.45pm on Wednesday, 20 October. Analysis of CCTV footage shows Emmanuel was surrounded by a group of males and we would like to identify who they are. Similarly, please check any doorbell or dashcam footage in case you have captured something that could prove useful for our investigation. No piece of information is too small.

The police appealed for three witnesses to come forward, and released CCTV images of them, noting that they were not suspects but that they might have significant information that could help with their enquiries.

A Detective Chief Inspector said:

These three people are sought as witnesses only and are not in any trouble. We believe they may have significant information that could assist our enquiries and would like to speak to them as soon as possible.

His sister said that Emmanuel Ogabi was claustrophobic and was in the habit of going out at night to clear his head. She also commented on knife crime, saying:

People should feel safe in their communities, you shouldn't have to reconsider if you should go out or not. Emmanuel was claustrophobic and he always used to go out at night to clear his head and that was his right to do that. And it wasn't anyone’s right to take his life away from him and not in the way they did.

His family said in a statement:

Sometime on the night of October 20, Emmanuel was attacked by a group of men, a few doors away from his home. He was chased down the alley, and running for his life, he screamed out for help, and no one came to his aid. He was slaughtered in the street, and left to bleed to death.

Emmanuel Ogabi's funeral took place at 11.30m on 20 December 2021 at Eltham Crematorium. He had had a three-year-old daughter.

Emmanuel Ogabi had been born in Isheri-Idimu in Lagos State, Nigeria and raised in London.

*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

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