Four UK-based Nigerians, David Akintola, Ayomide Olaribiro, Olabiyi Obasa, and David Okewole, have been jailed alongside six others for phone store robbery in the UK.

The UK police, in a statement, said the quartet and other members of an organised crime group were sentenced to prison on Friday.

Mr Akintola, of Samuel Street, Woolwich, bagged six years and six months’ imprisonment, while Mr Olaribiro, of Warrior Square, Manor Park, was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment.

Mr Obasa of Norfolk Close, Dartford, Kent, was sentenced to three years and six months’ imprisonment, while Mr Okewole of Vale Road, Northfleet, Kent, was sentenced to seven years and six months’ imprisonment.

The other six jailed alongside the Nigerian quartet bagged between three and six years’ jail term.

“The group targeted mostly EE stores, using threats of violence to force staff to open secure stock rooms before making off with high-value mobile phones and other devices. In total, they stole items with a total value of £240,000,” the UK police said.

Sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, their sentencing followed a police investigation into a series of robberies at mobile phone shops across London.

“This case shows the Met’s continued determination to tackle organised phone theft and robbery. Officers used forensic and digital techniques to identify and arrest those responsible and bring them to justice.

“We know how much distress these crimes cause to staff and the impact on businesses. We’re dismantling criminal networks at every level, from street-level thieves to organised crime groups – and we will continue to work with retail and industry partners to identify and arrest offenders,” Stephen O’Connell, a detective constable who led the investigation from the Met’s Flying Squad, said.