Man, 20, who fled from London to Shropshire for a recent begin was shot lifeless in a revenge assault three years after he was cleared of homicide, court docket hears

A rapper was shot dead ‘with military precision’ as he sat in a car in a revenge attack three years after he was cleared of murder, a court has heard.

Tamba Momodu, known as Teerose, moved 160 miles from London after he was acquitted at the Old Bailey of murdering another rapper, 19-year-old Abdullahi Tarabi.

But a court heard Momodu was allegedly traced by relatives of his victim before the 20-year-old was gunned down in a ‘cold-blooded execution’ – after the defendants made 16 trips to Telford, Shropshire, where he had moved with his family.

Prosecutor James Curtis KC said Momodu was shot six times in a car park at point-blank range four years ago as he was about to go the gym with two friends.

Jurors heard Mr Momodu had moved from north London to Telford in 2018 to start a new life after he was cleared of murdering Mr Tarabi, known as Teewiz, who was stabbed in an alleyway in Northolt, West London, in April 2017.

Prosecutor allege Mr Momodu was ‘stalked’ and tracked down by Tarabi’s older brother and cousin who were intent on revenge.

Mahamud Tarabi, 32, and Ahmed Karshe, 30, who are both on trial for Mr Momodu’s murder, alongside Deria Hassan, 32, and Merje Ngoy, 24, are said to have found the victim’s new location after he was jailed in October 2019 for possession with intent to supply drugs and his new address was published in the media.

Mr Curtis said a number of trips, starting on September 2 2020, were made to the Telford area in different cars, 11 of those being ‘reconnaissance’ before four unsuccessful attempts to carry out the killing were made.

Tamba Momodu (pictured) was shot dead ‘with military precision’ as he sat in a car in a revenge attack three years after he was cleared of murder, a court has heard

Momodu, known as Teerose, moved 160 miles from London after he was acquitted at the Old Bailey of murdering another rapper, 19-year-old Abdullahi Tarabi (pictured)

Police at the scene of the shooting outside Fitness Factor gym at the Bridges Business Park in Horsehay, Telford

It was on their 16th visit to Telford that they finally ‘ambushed’ Mr Momodu and ‘singled him out for death’ in October 2020 as Mr Momodu sat in the passenger seat of a friend’s car outside the Fitness Factory gym.

Mr Momodu’s friend had unknowingly parked his Renault Megan next to a Skoda Karoq on false plates that had been stolen from London that July and had at least two people inside wearing high-visibility tabards, one of whom exited the vehicle and carried out the shooting, with bullets passing through the victim’s back, neck, his heart and his left lung.

Mr Curtis said the fatal attack was ‘choreographed’ and ‘meticulously planned’, with Mr Momodu shot through the car window, as he fell out of the door and again as he lay on the ground dying.

He said: ‘No-one could ever say it was self-defence – it was deliberate and he never stood a chance.

‘It was no accident (the killer) had moved to Tamba Momodu’s side of the car and no accident the others in the car were untouched.’

Later that night, the Skoda was torched in a remote car park close to The Wrekin beauty spot outside the town, where earlier that day an Audi A5 had been parked ready to take the killers away from the area.

The court was told efforts to find Mr Momodu started as early as January 2019, when Google Maps screenshots were found on Tarabi’s phone circling the victim’s new address.

Stafford Crown Court heard a phone belonging to Tarabi had also made searches for different areas of Telford, including Summercroft, the road where Mr Momodu was living, in July 2020.

A person from the police forensics team pictured at the scene of the fatal shooting 

A police car and members of the forensics team in front of a tent that had been set up at the site

Police officers on the case had cordoned off the scene of the crime with tape at the time

When Mr Momodu was released from prison for the drugs offences in August 2020, he had become a ‘moving target instead of being behind prison walls’, Mr Curtis told the jury.

On the first reconnaissance trip to Telford on September 2 2020, visits were made to Mr Momodu’s gym, his address and the car park where the Skoda was later set alight.

Karshe, of no fixed address, Hassan, of Greenford, London, Tarabi, of Hillingdon, London, and Ngoy, of no fixed address, all deny murder.

Hussain has pleaded guilty to arson, while the other three deny the same charge.

The trial continues.