A 'composed' killer drove 50 miles to confront a business associate before stabbing him to death on the doorstep of his South London home.
Ben Wazabanga, 23, travelled from Bedford to Monson Road in New Cross armed with a knife, where he fatally stabbed 26-year-old Ayowale Aladejana once in the chest during a dispute over car-rental debts, according to MyLondon.
He made the journey with two young children in his car, fuelled by anger over the breakdown of their business arrangement, the court heard. On Thursday (June 11), a jury at Southwark Crown Court found him guilty of murder.
Police Investigation
"This was a calculated and brutal attack, with Wazabanga driving a considerable distance in order to accost Mr Aladejana at his home and cause him harm," said Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card, who led the investigation.
She went on to explain how responding officers and detectives worked tirelessly to comb over CCTV and phone data, piecing together the timeline that led to Mr Aladejana's death.
"This was a truly tragic and avoidable incident. We established that Wazabanga alone used the knife to kill Mr Aladejana, and I hope that today's conviction will bring Mr Aladejana's loved ones a measure of comfort as they continue to grieve his loss."
Court Proceedings
The pair had previously fallen out over a failed business deal, the court was told. Jenni Dempster KC, representing Wazabanga, had said he drove to Mr Aladejana's house to have a "calm" conversation on August 2, 2025. CCTV footage played in court showed Mr Aladejana coming outside his house and briefly talking with Wazabanga, before heading back inside and then back outside after about a minute-and-a-half.
Wazabanga did not shout nor "issue a single threat" while talking to Mr Aladejana, Miss Dempster claimed, adding he was "composed" and "reasonable" while waiting for him to come back outside. She told the jury: "There is nothing about Mr Wazabanga that suggests that he was in an aggressive, violent mood.
"He remains, you may think, composed. He appears reasonable. He doesn't for example try and follow Mr Aladejana back into his house. There are no threats at any point, there's no aggressive movement from Mr Wazabanga at any point."
Self-Defence Claim
A scuffle between the pair then broke out, only lasting a few seconds on the front path and street outside of Mr Aladejana's home, she said. In this time he put Wazabanga "in a headlock", leading him to see he had a knife tucked in his waistband.
The barrister said Wazabanga acted in self-defence a few moments later when he stabbed Mr Aladejana, as he saw him reach for the knife from his trousers and understood he was in a "lose-lose situation".
She told the jury: "What was Mr Wazabanga supposed to do? What should he have done if not this? Wait and be stabbed?"
Business Dispute
Prosecutors previously said the stabbing happened after a "business arrangement had gone sour" after Wazabanga had invested money in Mr Aladejana's car rental business A2M2. They told the court Wazabanga had funded car repairs. By the time of the stabbing, Wazabanga believed he was owed £3,000 and it is said he was struggling to contact Mr Aladejana.
How Wazabanga Was Tracked by Police
Met officers who first arrived at the scene scoured local CCTV to trace the vehicle seen pulling up outside Mr Aladejana's home and leaving moments before the attack. The car's details were then circulated, and armed police later intercepted it near Waterloo Bridge.
Although Wazabanga fled the vehicle clutching a knife, officers quickly detained him on suspicion of murder. Giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court, he admitted he had "routinely" carried a knife for the past seven years after being stabbed in the leg and hand, and told jurors he had a combat knife in his pocket as he and his partner drove to Mr Aladejana's address.
Further CCTV analysis enabled detectives to reconstruct the lead-up to the killing. Automatic Number Plate Recognition confirmed Wazabanga had driven the 50 miles from Bedford to New Cross to confront Mr Aladejana, while phone data revealed both his grievance and the plan he had formed.
Wazabanga will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on July 13.
