THE recent prosecution of Nigerian dancer and entertainer Iweh Odinaka, popularly known as Poco Lee, in the United Kingdom has drawn fresh attention to cases involving Nigerians accused or convicted of sexual offences abroad.
Poco Lee is facing five sexual offence charges, including rape, attempted rape and assault by penetration, at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London.
His case is still ongoing, and he has not been convicted, as he is due to appear before Snaresbrook Crown Court on September 15 for plea and trial preparation.
But his prosecution is the latest in a series of cases involving Nigerians who have faced courts in the UK, United States, Norway and The Gambia over rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences claims.
While some of those accused are facing ongoing legal proceedings, others have been convicted and handed prison sentences ranging from one year to life imprisonment.
The ICIR presents some of the recent cases involving Nigerians prosecuted abroad over sexual offences.
Olukanyinsola Odebode, United Kingdom
On August 21, a Swansea Crown Court sentenced one Olukanyinsola Odebode to a 12-year extended sentence after he was convicted of rape and two counts of assault by penetration.
The offences involved two women. The court heard that Odebode sexually assaulted and raped one of the women before being released on bail, after which he sexually assaulted the second woman.
According to reports, the offences occurred between June 2024 and September 2025.
Odebode first sexually assaulted and raped a woman in the Gwent Police area before he was arrested and released on bail. While on bail, he sexually assaulted another woman in the Dyfed-Powys Police area, the court heard.
Reports further indicated that since 2019, seven other women had raised allegations about Odebode’s sexual conduct with the police.
He is expected to serve at least two-thirds of the nine-year custodial element of the sentence before being considered for release and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Obinwa Obichukwu, United Kingdom
On July 21, Obinwa Obichukwu, a Nigerian man resident in Hertfordshire, was sentenced to two years in prison by Inner London Crown Court after being convicted of two counts of sexual assault.
The court also imposed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered him to remain on the UK sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
The offences occurred at London’s Euston railway station, where he sexually assaulted a woman.
Obichukwu reportedly approached the victim twice on the evening of August 20, 2023, after taking hold of her hand and declaring his love for her.
Qudus Ajeyemi, United Kingdom
Similarly, a UK court sentenced Qudus Ajeyemi, a Nigerian, to five years and six months in prison after he was convicted of attempted rape and sexual assault.
He was convicted on June 15, 2026.
The conviction followed a trial at Hull Crown Court over alleged sexual assaults at a night party.
Ajeyemi, 27, denied the claim that he attempted to rape the woman. However, the jury found him guilty by a majority of 10 votes to two.
The court imposed a seven-year restraining order and ordered that Ajeyemi be deported to Nigeria after completing his sentence.
He was also placed on the UK sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
Anthony Odiong, United States
Two weeks before Ajeyemi’s sentencing, on June 2, another Nigerian-born Catholic priest Anthony Odiong was sentenced to life imprisonment in Texas after being convicted of sexual assault offences involving women under his spiritual care.
A jury found him guilty of one first-degree sexual assault charge and two second-degree sexual assault charges.
He received life imprisonment for the first-degree offence and two 20-year terms for the other offences, with the sentences running concurrently.
Odiong, a naturalised US citizen who was originally from Nigeria, was also fined $30,000.
His lawyer said he intended to appeal.
Moses Ukwai, Gambia
On March 5, a Gambian High Court in Banjul sentenced Moses Ukwai, a 44-year-old Nigerian national, to life imprisonment after convicting him of raping a seven-year-old girl.
Ukwai faced two counts of rape. He was convicted on the count involving the seven-year-old child but was discharged on the second count involving another child.
During the trial, Ukwai denied the charges. The offence reportedly occurred in April 2025.
Daniel Odubanjo, United Kingdom
Daniel Odubanjo, a resident of Clapham, South London, was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of false imprisonment and two counts of sexual assault.
He was sentenced in January 2026 by the Chelmsford Crown Court.
Chiemka Okoronta, United Kingdom
Also in November 2025, a Bradford Crown Court sentenced Chiemka Okoronta, a Nigerian postgraduate student, to 10 years in prison after he was convicted of three counts of rape and one count of causing a woman aged 16 or over to engage in sexual activity.
Okoronta, 29, was also handed an additional three years on extended licence following his release.
Constable Sue Sutcliffe of Bradford District Safeguarding Unit who investigated the case stated that Okoronta exploited his victim by luring her to his home, where he forced her to engage in sexual activity.
Theophilis Anwana, United States
Similarly in August 2025, Theophilis Anwana, a US-based Nigerian, was convicted of second-degree rape in Maryland and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
He was subsequently arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August 2025. ICE said Anwana had been subject to a final order of removal since September 2021.
Elvis Nosakhare, United Kingdom
Elvis Nosakhare, a Nigerian man living in Bletchley, was sentenced to six years in prison by Aylesbury Crown Court after being convicted of five sexual offences involving his partner’s underage daughter in July 2025.
He was convicted of two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child and three counts of non-penetrative sexual activity.
He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
Segun Ogundipe, United Kingdom
Segun ‘Michael’ Ogundipe, a Nigerian-born man who travelled to the UK to study in 2021, was sentenced to five years in prison at Gloucester Crown Court on July 21, 2025.
He was convicted of rape, two counts of sexual assault and assault by penetration.
The offences occurred in 2022 after Ogundipe met the victim at her workplace and later took her to his home. He was subsequently ordered to face deportation because of the seriousness of the offences.
Emmanuel Onwubiko, United Kingdom
On June 13, 2025, Emmanuel Onwubiko, a Nigerian resident of Ashton, Warrington, UK, was reportedly sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of five counts of sexual assault at Liverpool Crown Court.
He was also ordered to sign the UK sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
The offences occurred while Onwubiko was working as an agency care worker at a residential home in Warrington.
He was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old teenager in Warrington, who sought baptism to “feel clean” again. Reports stated that Onwubiko started behaving inappropriately towards the teenager, including touching her breast and buttocks and grabbing her vagina on two occasions.
Adewale Kudabo, United Kingdom
In June, 2025, another Nigerian, Adewale Kudabo, a healthcare assistant at York Hospital, was sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault involving a vulnerable female patient.
The court heard that Kudabo had abused the trust placed in him as a healthcare worker.
He was sentenced by York Crown Court on June 10, 2025.
Tosin Dada and Solomon Ibukun Adebiyi, United Kingdom
Two Nigerians, Tosin Dada and Solomon Ibukun Adebiyi, were each sentenced to 14 years in prison by Northampton Crown Court after being convicted of three counts of rape.
The convictions related to the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl in Northampton in March 2022.
Both men had denied the allegations and claimed the sexual activity was consensual, but a jury found them guilty on all three counts after a nine-day trial.
They were sentenced on November 29, 2024.
Kelechukwu Orji, United Kingdom
Kelechukwu Orji was convicted at Lewes Crown Court of two counts of rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault.
He had initially been sentenced to 10 years after the offences.
However, Orji had fled the UK to Nigeria after his conviction and before his original sentencing.
Following an appeal by the Solicitor General, the England and Wales Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 15 years in June 2024.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M