London: Family make heartfelt appeal as Crimestoppers offers £20,000 over Ola Raji's unsolved murder

Crimestoppers is offering a £20,000 reward for information on the anniversary of the murder of a young man in south east London.

Ola Raji had been watching a football match with a friend before cycling onto the East Surrey Grove estate in Peckham on the night of 21 April 2015 when two men attacked him.

The 20-year-old was shot and stabbed as he lay on the ground and, despite the best efforts of emergency services, he later died in hospital. His attackers are believed to have fled the scene on foot via an alleyway from Cator Street into Sumner Road, before turning into Rosemary Road towards Surrey Canal Path.

As a charity that is completely independent of the police, we are working with Ola’s family and the police to appeal to anyone who may have been silent so far to come forward anonymously. Three people have been arrested during the course of the police investigation, but have all been released, with no one brought to justice for Ola’s murder.

***Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information our charity exclusively receives – either online or by calling freephone 0800 555 111 – that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Ola’s murder***

  
 

“Ola was a fun, humorous, and caring young man. He was and still is a much-loved grandson, son, baby brother and uncle who loved life. He had his whole life ahead of him and so much to live for. Our lives have been turned upside down since the day he was attacked and will sadly never be the same. We miss him more and more with every day that passes.

“Ola came from a very close-knit family who have been left devastated and grief-stricken. We continue to keep his memory alive by sharing stories and pictures of him, particularly to his nephews, whom sadly Ola never got to meet. Although nothing can ever bring him back, the pain of his loss is made so much worse because we have so many unanswered questions about what exactly happened that night and haven’t secured justice for him. There's not much my sister and I can still do for our brother, but securing justice is something we can and will continue to fight for.

“Bringing everyone who played a part in his murder to justice is something we will strive towards until justice prevails. We have so many unanswered questions. In our quest, we decided to reach out to Crimestoppers, who have been really supportive. We have spoken at length with Crimestoppers to understand how they work and how the identity of people who provide information to them is kept anonymous, so please don't be afraid to come forward. Whatever you know or may have heard, no matter how small you may think it is, please talk to Crimestoppers - It may just be the piece of the puzzle that we are missing. It's time his killers are made accountable for their actions before they repeat their actions and another family are left broken, like ours.

“We know there are local people who know what happened that night. People who may have heard things either on that fateful night or over the last few years. Many years have passed now, and we're hopeful that these people might now feel able to come forward and be more willing to help us. We know they may feel uncomfortable about going to the police, which is why we feel Crimestoppers can really help.

"Crimestoppers is independent of the police and is a charity created to help families like ours. The charity provides a way for people to report things anonymously without ever having to have any contact with the police, provide an official statement or even attend court – you just tell them what you know, what you may have heard, and you're done. Your IP address and phone number cannot be traced. After all these years, please help us find some closure. We won't be at peace until Ola's killers are brought to justice.”

Please note: Computer IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted us. For telephone calls, there is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and our charity has never traced a call.
 

“As we offer this reward and launch this appeal, our thoughts are very much with Ola’s family and friends. Despite his murder 7 years ago, it’s still shocking to read of the circumstances and to know that whoever committed this violent act is still out there and has evaded justice.

“Crimestoppers, as a charity, believes in safe communities. We are on the side of those who may know about crime but are often too scared or worried to come forward and speak directly to the police. Our independence and anonymity promise is key to so many people coming forward who would otherwise remain silent.

“If you know who was responsible, this is your opportunity to do the right thing, to protect the community from coming to greater harm by passing on information that may help see those involved face the consequences. Nobody will know you contacted us, only you, and your information, however small, could make a difference. And remember, you stay 100% anonymous. Always. The family truly deserves to see justice.”

Crimestoppers has been taking crime information since we began in the late 1980s. We have always kept our promise of anonymity and have supported millions of people who have trusted us with their crime information. Every day over a thousand people contact Crimestoppers either online and on the phone.

If you have information, please fill in our simple and secure anonymous online form or speak to a professionally trained call handler at our UK Contact Centre, which is open 24/7, by dialling freephone 0800 555 111.

***Information passed directly to police will not qualify for ar reward. Only information passed to Crimestoppers online or via our 0800 555 111 freephone number will qualify***