The family of the murdered Peckham man Ola Raji has criticised the police over “inexplicable delays” to a report about alleged failings in the 2015 murder investigation.
Ola, 20, was travelling home after watching a football match, when he was shot and stabbed on the East Surrey Grove Estate, Peckham, on April 2, 2015.
The report, which addresses the bereaved sisters’ allegations of “cultural bias” and incompetence, was meant to arrive in July but the family say they’ve been told to wait until October.
This is just the latest delay. After the sisters first complained to the IOPC in June 2021, they didn’t receive a response for ten months.
Ola’s older sisters, Ruki Ware and Zainab Raji, said: “We are and continue to be disappointed by the service provided by the Met Police.
“We have waited more than seven years for justice for our brother’s murder, yet we are still left without answers that could provide some comfort. The Met is adding to this pain with these inexplicable delays.”
The murder
Ola Raji was travelling home after watching a football match when he was shot and stabbed on the East Surrey Grove Estate, Peckham, on April 2, 2015.
He had been confronted by two individuals outside the Damilola Taylor Centre, who gunned him down before stabbing him in the back with a bladed weapon.
Police arrived after receiving reports of shots fired, and found Ola collapsed on the ground between two parked cars. Ola was given first aid but died from a single gunshot shortly after arriving at hospital.
CCTV footage showed two suspects fleeing the scene around 10.30pm, possibly via a cut-through from Cator Street, but nobody has seen justice for the tragic murder.
The investigation
Ola’s family say the subsequent police investigation was too passive, missed basic details and “profiled” Ola.
The official complaint, which also accuses police of cultural bias and “profiling” Ola, alleges a litany of flaws in the investigation.
Speaking to the News in June, Ms Ware, 37, said: “We were very trusting of the police because they have been tasked with protecting the community but now I don’t trust them to do anything.
“The investigation was cr*p from the beginning and we found ourselves in a situation where we were leading them to evidence.”
According to the complaint, when police searched Ola’s body, they said his house keys were not on his person so his family changed all their locks.
Months later, police allegedly found the keys and told the family they’d missed them because they were “deep” in his pocket. This led Ola’s family to question the thoroughness of the entire investigation.
The family say the police’s door-to-door appeal, which the sisters say only happened at their prompting, failed to speak to lots of neighbours.
Shockingly, their complaint claims police effectively told Ola’s grieving mother that she “didn’t seem shocked” and asked whether she was “expecting this”.
The complaint was initially submitted to the IOPC but then referred back to the Met Police for them to investigate internally.
Crimestoppers, a charity independent from the police, is offering £20,000 to whoever can provide information that leads to a conviction.
Speaking to the News, Ms Ware said: “It’s been devastating – that’s the only way to describe it. I was pregnant when my brother passed away and I think about my mum losing a son and how heartbreaking it is. It’s been a nightmare that won’t stop.”
The police statement
The News asked the Met Police why the report has been delayed but received no explanation. Instead, the Met Police spokesperson said the report “has been completed and is currently being reviewed”.
If you can help solve the murder please contact Crimestoppers either online at crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800555111. The charity does not trace calls or track IP addresses.