Three men named Joshua Oladele, Micah Hines, and Ali Alamiri have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 25-year-old Hamza Iqbal in London.
The sentencing was handed down by Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday following a vicious attack described as a revenge killing.
Hamza was stabbed 23 times in what prosecutors called a premeditated ambush on September 24, 2023.
The attack took place while Hamza was with friends and was carried out by the trio, who were armed with machetes.
The assault is believed to have been orchestrated by 28-year-old Dontae Smicle, who had fled the country before the trial began.
Smicle allegedly sought revenge after being stabbed 11 days earlier, leading him to target Hamza’s group. Oladele, reportedly a known drug runner since the age of 13, was contacted by Smicle to execute the attack.
On the night of the murder, Oladele, Hines, and Alamiri were seen psyching each other up before they ambushed Hamza and his friends.
Despite their attempts to flee, Hamza was chased down by Oladele, who repeatedly stabbed him even as he lay on the ground. Hines then joined in, inflicting further injuries.
Hamza’s family described him as a devoted family man who was on his way to watch an Arsenal game before he was brutally murdered.
“Hamza was football crazy. He might not have been the best player, but his love for Arsenal was unmatched,” they said in a statement.
In her ruling, Honorary Recorder of Redbridge, Judge Rosa Dean, called the attack a “punishment killing” and condemned the men for showing no remorse during the trial.
“None of you have shown any remorse during the trial. Everything you’ve done has been to try to save yourselves and downplay your responsibility,” she said.
The judge dismissed the men’s claims that they only intended to scare Hamza’s group under Smicle’s orders, stating that they were all “ready and willing” to carry out the deadly assault.
Oladele was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years, Hines received 25 years, and Alamiri was sentenced to 24 years. Smicle, believed to be the mastermind behind the attack, remains at large.
