The unsolved murder of Ola Raji: A decade-old cold case
In 2015, the life of the young Ola Raji was tragically cut short. Ola was murdered when coming home from a friend's house, but his killers – thought to be two men – were never brought to justice. Ola’s family decided to take matters into their own hands and has been searching for the truth for over a decade.
In this Crime+Investigation article, we dive deeper into the unsolved murder of Ola Raji. Read on to learn the details of his death as well as the failure of the police investigation and how his family continue to pursue justice for Ola.
Who was Ola Raji?
At the time of his murder Ola was a 21-year-old student. He was also once a pupil at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic School in Camberwell. Ola was a fan of football and had a loving family, including two sisters.
His sisters – Ruki Ware and Zainab Raji – have continued to fight for justice for their brother, despite how hard the grief was on their family. When speaking out about Ola’s death on the 10th anniversary of his death, his sisters were quoted as saying:
‘This is a painful reminder of 10 years of loss – our family is not going to get that time back. When we get together, there is always that sense of something missing. There are children who never get to know their uncle, who would still be so young even now. The laughter we share is that little less loud. There is a smile absent in the photographs.’
The murder of Ola Raji
On 21st April 2015, Ola went to a friend's house to watch a Champions League football match between Porto and Bayern Munich. After the match, at around 10:30pm, he started to cycle home.
He only made it to East Surrey Grove in Peckham. When outside the Damilola Taylor Centre – a community centre founded to commemorate the murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor – Ola was shot three times and then stabbed by two men.
The attackers have been described as having dark skin by witnesses, who believed the gunshots were fireworks. Emergency services arrived on the scene, but Ola passed away later while at the hospital. A post-mortem confirmed that the gunshot wound, which hit him in the chest, was the cause of death.
The police investigation
The initial investigation revolved around the possibility that the murderers left the scene on foot. The theory was that they took a shortcut from Cator Street, then ran into Sumner Road before turning onto Rosemary Road. They are thought to have been heading towards the Surrey Canal Path.
The police did manage to talk to a few suspects regarding the murder. Three were arrested on suspicion of Ola’s murder. Two more were taken in for perverting the court of justice. However, nothing ever came from those arrests. No action was taken, and no criminal charges were filed.
Robbery was a major theory during the investigation. Will Reynolds, DCI of the murder inquiry, said: ‘One line of inquiry is robbery because Ola may have had a small bag or rucksack taken from him after he was shot.’
10 years on
Ola’s sisters and family continue to fight to find those responsible for Ola’s murder. A decade later, in April 2025, the case was reopened, and a new appeal was launched.
The independent charity Crimestoppers is working alongside Ola’s family to try and get more information relating to Ola’s murder. They are also offering a £20,000 reward.
The investigation attempts after Ola’s murder have been widely criticised. Ola’s sisters have been particularly vocal about this, making remarks about ‘a catalogue of failings’ by the police and accusing the authorities of profiling and cultural bias. Scotland Yard also admitted to failures, with the Metropolitan Police and seven officers confirmed to have made key mistakes.
The search for the truth and justice for Ola still continues. Hopefully, Ola’s family will find some closure for his tragic death and, eventually, criminal action against his killers.
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