By Desire Emmanuel
A Nigerian living in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man in Vauxhall, London, the British Metropolitan Police said on Saturday, June 6.
Fawaz Abdulkareem, aged 36, who is regarded as a ‘big boy’ and a socialite with properties in Ikoyi, Lagos State, fatally stabbed Daniel Manuel, aged 32 years, at his flat on Bondway following an argument over a debt he owed.
British Metropolitan Police detectives quickly identified him as the murderer – arresting him at the scene and charging him the following day.
They saw through Abdulkareem’s claims that he had acted in self-defence and found the murder weapon after he had tried to dispose of it – throwing it from the window of the 14th floor flat.
Abdulkareem, of Bondway, Southwark, was unanimously convicted of murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday, 21 May. He was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 17 years on Friday, June 5.
Detective, Inspector Luke Hampton, who led the Met investigation, said: “Daniel was murdered in a moment of extreme violence by a man he thought was his friend.
“Abdulkareem tried to deceive police, recklessly throwing the murder weapon from the window of the 14th floor of a tower block and cruelly claiming it was Daniel who had attacked him.
“Met detectives saw through his lies and worked hard to secure a conviction. Abdulkareem’s claims of self-defence were dismissed by the jury.
“Our thoughts remain with Daniel’s family and hope this sentence gives them a degree of peace.”
Zulal, Daniel’s wife, said: “Daniel was not just my husband, he was my partner, my home, my emotional safety and the person I built my entire life around.
“Losing him in such a violent and sudden way has completely shattered my world.
“This loss has affected every part of my life, emotionally, physically, financially and I am still trying to survive the aftermath of it.”
Daniel was found with three stab wounds in the lobby of the block of flats where Abdulkareem lived on Saturday, July 5, 2025.
Police were called at 5.38 a.m. and officers arrived within six minutes, performing emergency first aid. But despite their best efforts and the work of doctors and paramedics, he died at the scene.
Daniel and Abdulkareem had spent the evening at a nightclub, returning with a group of friends to Abdulkareem’s flat in the early hours of the morning. It was following an argument about money that Daniel was suddenly stabbed three times with a kitchen knife.
Following the attack, Abdulkareem left the flat with the knife still in the waistband of his trousers, taking his t-shirt off and using it to disguise the weapon when he reported Daniel’s injuries to staff in the communal lobby.
When Abdulkareem realised emergency services were on their way, he tried to dispose of the blade out of the window.
But one of the responding officers noticed Daniel’s blood on his clothing, arresting him at the scene.
Abdulkareem alleged that he had acted in self-defence. But evidence found that the nature of Daniel’s injuries suggested he had most likely been stabbed while his back was turned – disproving his claims.
This case is further evidence of the Met’s work to drive down homicide in London and get violent offenders off the city’s streets.
