Four men disguised in burkhas jailed over double murder as man survives being shot in head

Chibuike Ohanweh, 21, of Romford; Ayaanle Adan, 20, from Barking; Mahad Gouled, 22, from Enfield; and Mirza, 21, of Newham, had denied double murder, two charges of attempted murder and perverting the course of justice

Four men who donned burkhas before carrying out a five-minute revenge raid which saw two rappers fatally stabbed and shot have been jailed for life for their murders.

Saydi Abu Sheikh, 23, and Zakariya Jeilani Mohamed, 31, were left dead or dying in a bedroom in the savage attack inside the home in Ilford, east London, last October. Saydi had been stabbed 28 times and shot four times while Zakariya was stabbed five times and shot at least seven times. Survivor Khalid Khalid was shot six times. One bullet entered the side of his face, passed through his head and exited beside his mouth, causing damage to parts of the skull, his brain and his teeth.

Two other victims managed to escape during the attack the Met Police said was an "unspeakable act of extreme violence". Saydi, who rapped under the name Gidd, and Zakariya, who used the name Shifty, were said to be part of the group known as Drillford. Today their killers were sentenced to a total of 38 years behind bars.

During the trial prosecutor John Price KC told how a resident had called 999 just after midnight after hearing a bang and seeing a car on fire. Police and paramedics found a "scene of bloody carnage" when they arrived at the address a few minutes later, Mr Price said.

"In an upstairs room were two young men, both dead or dying. They had each been shot and stabbed many times. A third young man, gravely wounded, had been left for dead. Though he sustained a gunshot wound which had passed through his head, he was to survive. It was later discovered that a fourth man had run from the back of the house when a group of attackers armed with guns had forced their way in.

"A fifth man was even more fortunate. Before the gunmen were able to force their way into the room, he had concealed himself between a bed and the wall. Almost miraculously, his presence there went undetected by the gunmen."

The attackers were caught on CCTV cameras outside the property, jurors at the Old Bailey heard. They had donned burkas to hide their identities when they set off for the attack from a “mission control” flat a couple of miles away. Another defendant, Zain Mirza, had “procured” the murders in revenge for the killing of his brother in 2019. He was in prison for a drugs offence but set about putting a plan into action after being released while being careful to remain at “arm’s length”, jurors were told.

Prosecutor John Price KC had said: “He [Mirza] was the one who most wanted it done. His motive was revenge.” In November 2019, Mirza’s 19-year-old brother Mohammed Usman Mirza was murdered and one of those convicted over the killing was “closely associated” with Mr Sheikh, jurors were told.

Chibuike Ohanweh, 21, of Romford; Ayaanle Adan, 20, from Barking; Mahad Gouled, 22, from Enfield; and Mirza, 21, of Newham, had denied double murder, two charges of attempted murder and perverting the course of justice. Mirza claimed he was in Manor Park dealing drugs and celebrating a friend’s birthday at the time of the killings while Ohanweh, Adan and Gouled also denied involvement.

A jury deliberated for more than 40 hours to find the four men guilty of all the charges. Today, Judge Mark Lucraft KC sentenced them to life with a minimum term of 38 years. He told them: “I’m entirely satisfied that the events were the culmination of a carefully planned retaliation attack for the killing of Mohammed Usman Mirza. You were each involved in planning and carrying out this horrific attack.”

A fifth defendant, Zakarie Mohamad, 19, of Kensington, had admitted perverting the course of justice by destroying the car. He was cleared of the murder and attempted murder charges. Today he was sentenced to four years in a young offenders institute.