Football coach, Emmanuel Igwebuike bags 15-year jail term for assaulting teenagers

Emmanuel Igwebuike, a self-described Nigerian football coach, was found guilty of molesting seven young boys and was given a 15-year prison sentence in the UK.

The 35-year-old was also given a lifetime order to avoid sexual assault, and he will forever be listed on the Sex Offenders Register.

According to reports from the UK, the Inner London Crown Court punished him after finding him responsible for 22 charges of sexual assault after a five-week trial in April.

When the crimes were committed between June 2019 and April 2021, his victims ranged in age from 14 to 18.

The alleged sexual attacks happened at his old residences in Lambeth and Putney as well as a hotel in Birmingham.

Made allegations

On June 15, 2021, 15 days before the Nigerian was detained by police officers from a multidisciplinary investigation team and the central specialist crime command, a number of accusations against him were presented to the police.

Igwebuike, according to the Metropolitan Police, was running his own football academy in the South London neighborhoods of Stockwell and Putney at the time, acting in his own self-appointed capacity as a coach.

Igwebuike, who had no connection to the English Football Association (FA) or any nearby football club, is said to have assaulted the boys after gaining their trust by promising to further their football careers and give them opportunities to play the game.

According to the police, at the time the crimes were perpetrated, none of the boys were aware that the other boys were being abused and believed they were the only ones.

Police claimed that although he was accused of abusing seven boys, other potential victims and witnesses to Igwebuike’s actions were cited at the time the accusations were made against him. Police are now pleading with any further victims to come forward.

Police report

The football coach Igwebuike committed exceptionally serious crimes, according to Detective Constable Elaine Hutton of the Met’s specialized crime command.

Elaine Hutton said, [quotation] “These offenses 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.”[/quotation]

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