FIVE years on from a murderous drive-by shooting plot, we continue to track down those involved and bring them to justice reports Essex Police.

At Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday 13 November, Temitope Adeyinka, 41, became the third man to be jailed for his part in the shooting of 50-year-old Robert Powell outside a party in Roydon in June 2020.

He now joins principal organiser Nana Oppong, 45, and co-conspirator Israar Shah, 41, behind bars – bringing the total sentence for the three killers to 83 years.

Mr Powell was among around 100 guests at the party, which ran well into the early hours of 13 June.
When he left and walked out onto the street at around 4.45am, Oppong, Adeyinka and Shah lay in wait.
A gunman stepped out of a vehicle and Mr Powell was shot eight times, dying in hospital the following day.

Two women also suffered serious injuries after they were caught in the gunfire.

Each man, having played his part in organising or carrying out the execution, ditched the vehicles used, destroyed their burner phones and fled the country when they realised we were closing in.

Our Serious Crime Directorate faced a mammoth task in identifying them, tracking them down and tying them to the shooting.

A lack of any witnesses at the party willing to speak to us, encrypted messages, unregistered cars with false number plates – the level of planning involved, and the challenges we faced, were unique.

Oppong, a violent drug dealer who had previously evaded three murder charges, thought he could similarly distance himself from this crime.

But his first run-in with Essex Police proved to be a rude awakening.

CCTV footage of the party identified three key vehicles: a Ford Kuga on false plates carrying Oppong, a Toyota Prius from which Shah and Adeyinka acted as spotters looking out for Mr Powell, and a backup Vauxhall Zafira.

Further CCTV footage captured the movements of each suspect before and immediately after the murder.

The investigative team:
• Identified more than 600 telephone numbers of interest, requiring extensive forensic examination and analysis.
• Trawled through more than 200 hours of CCTV.
• Gathered more than 700 statements.
• Prepared more than 1,400 evidence exhibits for the court cases.

Our investigation found Oppong, who had the street name ‘Enz’, had long been set on murdering Mr Powell over a grievance – the full nature of which will likely never be known.
Oppong enlisted long-term friend Adeyinka, street name ‘Limo’, and associate Shah, street name ‘Slick’, to assist in his plan.

Messages recovered through the National Crime Agency’s successful cracking of Encrochat – an encrypted messaging service largely used by organised criminals – greatly helped.

They showed previous attacks on Mr Powell had been discussed and abandoned.
Other messages showed discussions over handguns and a specific type of 9mm ammunition, the same type used to kill Mr Powell.

They further implicated Oppong in a conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Social media pictures of Mr Powell were recovered from phones linked to Oppong.

Although Oppong scrubbed his phones and deleted most of his messages, forensic work to piece together various conversations implicated him in the plot.

Thanks to a strong partnership with the National Crime Agency, law enforcement abroad and the Crown Prosecution Service, the three men were traced and brought back to the UK to face justice.

Oppong – resorting to hiding in the back of a lorry as he crossed the Moroccan border from Spain – was finally apprehended in September 2022 and brought back to the UK in June 2023.
Shah was detained in Spain in December 2022 and extradited back to the UK in February 2023.
Both men stood trial last year, were convicted of murder and possession of a firearm and jailed for life – Oppong with a minimum term of 38 years, Shah a minimum of 26 years.

The hunt for Adeyinka continued until May 2024 when, during Oppong and Shah’s trial, he was finally tracked down in Spain and brought back to Essex to face justice.

He stood trial in November 2025 and was cleared of murder and possession of a firearm, but convicted of manslaughter for his role in the plot.

Adeyinka was jailed for 19 years.

During his sentencing hearing, the court heard victim impact statements from Mr Powell’s daughter and sister.

Mr Powell, a father of three and grandfather of two, was a music manager and known to many as ‘Fox’.
But away from his persona and past associations, he was part of a tight-knit family already impacted heavily by loss and grief.

His daughter told the court she was 18 years old when her father was assassinated.

She said:

“When my father first passed, I was overwhelmed by how many people were around us, so I didn’t get the chance to process what was happening.
“But over time, the noise stopped. The messages stopped. The days that once echoed with love and support became silent.
“The anniversaries and birthdays became quiet. Eventually, you are left alone with the reality of your thoughts and the weight of your grief.

“I never knew my dad as this ‘character’ people speak about – that was just a nickname to me.
“I knew him as my pops. I was his princess. He used to call me his ‘beautiful little blackberry’ because I was his darkest-skinned child, or he would call me his twin with fake eyelashes because we looked alike, and I had his bad attitude.

“We were alike in ways that meant something to both of us.
“The last time I saw him alive, we were on his balcony looking through family photo albums.
“He promised that when I turned 21, he would sit down and tell me everything – his story, his truth – but he wanted to wait until I was old enough to understand.

“I admired him for that. I was waiting for that conversation. I will never get that conversation now.
“I hope everyone understands my father was not just a name in this case.
“He was not just a gangster that got what was coming to him, not just a villain in another man’s story. He was my parent.
“My protector. The man who was meant to walk me into adulthood, who was supposed to see me reach every milestone that now feels distant.”

Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings, who has led our investigation over the past five years, said:

“This case has always been about apprehending three serious and committed criminals who thought they could come to Essex and execute an organised hit.

“To see this level of violence and gun crime in our county is extremely rare – and it was met with one of the most intensive and long-running investigations we’ve ever carried out.
“From the very outset of our investigation, we’ve never wavered from our commitment to see each of these men brought back to Essex to face justice.

“It’s been an immense challenge to build a solid case, to ensure a jury could see through their lies.
“It’s important to recognise the efforts of both detectives and staff in recovering, analysing and processing hundreds of pieces of evidence to be presented during the trial.

“All of this work ultimately led to the conviction of three dangerous criminals.
“One by one, Oppong, Shah and finally Adeyinka have been tracked down, arrested and now convicted.
“If you come to Essex intent on engaging in organised crime, intent on gun violence, we will not stop in our efforts to find you.
“It is also with thanks to our partners, including the National Crime Agency, Spanish law enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service, that we can now say with confidence – that’s three out of three.

“But it’s important to state our investigation is not over. It is evident other, as yet unidentified, suspects were involved in this shooting.
“Our work continues.”

Samantha Woolley, a Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Prosecutor, said:

“This has been one of the most challenging and complex cases of my legal career and involved extensive liaison with the CPS Extradition Unit to bring Temitope Adeyinka rightfully back to the UK to face justice.

“The CPS worked collaboratively with prosecution counsel, Essex Police and the NCA to ensure a strong case could be presented to the court following an intensive investigation.
“Each and every one of us involved were determined that those responsible for the murder of Robert Powell were brought to justice and we worked tirelessly to achieve this.”

Gill Duggan, Head of Europe at the National Crime Agency’s International command, said:

“Adeyinka’s conviction is another superb result and shows once again that UK law enforcement does not give up on finding those who have fled justice in the UK.

“We worked extensively with Essex Police and the Spanish National Police who were key to tracing and arresting Adeyinka. Working with our colleagues at home and abroad, the NCA will continue to hunt those on the run.”