Nigerian-Born who Murdered 20-Year-Old Nursing Student In UK Jailed For Life

A man from Nigeria was on Monday, August 5, jailed for life in the United Kingdom after murdering a student who vanished following a Boxing Day service.

Shohfah-El Israel, whose real name is Ajibola Shogbamimu, has never admitted what he did with the body of Joy Morgan, from Hertfordshire, after killing her last Christmas.

The 40-year-old, who is married with children, was convicted by a jury at Reading Crown Court. He is originally from Nigeria but has lived in the UK for 22 years.

Shogbamimu lied to the police when he was arrested, saying he had dropped Ms Morgan off at her student accommodation in Hatfield.

He gave her a lift after a dinner at the American-founded Israel United in Christ Church they attended in Ilford, east London, on December 26.

The killer later told officers he had in fact spent two nights alone with the University of Hertfordshire nursing and midwifery student in his Cricklewood flat – claimed his lies were due to concerns about having broken church rules banning women from being alone with men other than their husbands.

A signal from Ms Morgan’s phone, which has never been found, was detected in his car in the Stevenage area on December 28, at which point the jury was told he was most likely “looking for somewhere to dispose of the body.”

Despite days of police searches in that area, Ms Morgan’s body has not been found.

The keys to her accommodation were discovered in the footwell of his car after his arrest in February.

After killing Ms Morgan, he attempted to cover his tracks by removing her number from a church Telegram group chat, the court heard, and even kept up the lie by going to her student house under the guise of checking on her in the days after she apparently went missing.

From the witness box, he told the jury that Ms Morgan – who he denied having sex with, claiming he saw her as a daughter – had told him she wanted to leave the church.

But fellow worshippers told the court they were shocked by the idea that she might quit the church so suddenly, saying she had found the ‘familial love’ there that she had been craving.