Nigerian Cyber Security Student Fatally Stabbed In UK After Dispute With Friend

A 20-year-old Nigerian university student has been allegedly stabbed to death by his former friend in the United Kingdom following a bitter dispute over an alleged £3,000 debt and a fake Rolex watch, a court has heard.

The deceased, Khaleed Oladipo, a third-year Cyber Security student at De Montfort University in Leicester, was fatally attacked on February 3, 2026, while walking home from his girlfriend’s apartment.

Prosecuting counsel told Leicester Crown Court that the Nigerian student and the accused, 18-year-old Harper Dennis, originally met through online gaming and were close friends in the same social media group before their relationship deteriorated.

The prosecution revealed that tensions escalated after Dennis accused Oladipo of owing him £3,000.

Additionally, Dennis had reportedly taken a Rolex watch provided by Oladipo to a London jeweller to sell, only to discover the luxury timepiece was counterfeit, leaving him humiliated. Text messages presented in court showed Dennis threatening to dedicate his life to making the Nigerian student suffer.

On the day of the incident, a brief physical altercation broke out between the pair, during which Oladipo sustained fatal knife wounds. He collapsed shortly after while on the phone with his girlfriend and died at the hospital.

Police officers subsequently arrested Dennis at his university hostel, recovering several knives and bloodied clothing from his room.

Dennis has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, possession of a bladed article, and failing to provide his mobile phone PIN, claiming he acted in self-defence. The trial before the Leicester Crown Court is expected to last three weeks.