UK court jails Nigerian man for life for murdering ex-girlfriend after she ended their affair 

A Nigerian man, Adedapo Adegbola, who was obsessed with his ex-girlfriend,  23-year-old Stephanie Irons, and ended up killing her, is to spend the rest of his life in jail.

Adegbola, 40, who relocated to the UK in 2022, fatally stabbed Irons in the neck at her home in Mapperley, Nottinghamshire, on the evening of October 21, 2025. 

Prosecutors told Nottingham Crown Court that the social worker had become obsessed with the young woman and carefully planned her killing.

On Thursday, February 5, 2026, the court ordered that Adegbola must serve a minimum of 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder last month.

How Adedapo Adegbola planned the murder

The court heard that days before the attack, Adegbola purchased two knives with the intention of killing Irons. 

After finishing work on the day of the murder, he travelled by taxi to her home, arriving shortly after she did.

Prosecutors said he waited for an opportunity to enter the flat before launching a violent attack, inflicting multiple wounds and delivering the fatal stab to her neck.

After the killing, Adegbola reportedly sat on the sofa while Irons lay dying, before stealing her phone and keys, locking the flat, and fleeing the scene. He later disposed of his clothes and the murder weapon.

Colleagues, concerned after being unable to reach Irons, went to her home and alerted police. Officers eventually gained entry through a rear window and found her lying in a pool of blood.

During sentencing, Judge Nirmal Shant KC said Adegbola’s controlling behaviour had driven Irons to end the relationship — a decision he refused to accept.

“You were not prepared to let her go. What you did was to take the life of a compassionate young woman whose only fault was caring for you at one time,” the judge said.

Victim’s family pays tribute

In an emotional statement read in court, Irons’ mother described her daughter as loving, kind, and full of life.

“She lit up every room she entered and could make even the saddest person smile. She wanted to make the world kinder,” she said, breaking down in tears as Adegbola sobbed in the dock.

Investigators also revealed that after the murder, Adegbola sent explicit screenshots from Irons’ phone to colleagues — an act believed to have occurred after her death.

Adegbola fled to Hull but handed himself in to the police the following day. He later admitted to the crime in January 2026.

Detective Inspector Stuart Barson praised Irons’ family for their courage throughout the case, saying the loss had left a permanent wound.

“We have lost our beautiful daughter and shining light. Justice may be done, but time will never heal this pain,” the family said in a statement.