Four more members of an organised crime group have been jailed in connection with the murder of 16-year-old John Soyoye in Manchester after the fugitives were extradited to the United Kingdom.

According to authorities, the four individuals identified as Ruben Candiza, 26, Emerson Teta, 25, Marco Veiga, 25, and Valdo De-Almeida, 27, fled the country for years after the death of the teenager in 2020.

The suspects were apprehended and extradited to the UK following an extensive investigation by Greater Manchester Police, the National Crime Agency and international law enforcement authorities abroad with the help of European and domestic warrants.

The four convicts were members of the Oldham-based Representing the Danger (RTD) organised crime group and handed a combined sentence of 41 years and six months.

Their individual sentences are 10 years and eight months, 10 years and five months, 10 years and three months, and 10 years and two months, respectively.

Another suspect is also expected to be extradited to the UK in due course.

The Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges of murder, manslaughter and violent disorder against the convicts.

Soyoye was killed following an altercation between two rival gangs, Moston-based ‘M40’ and the Oldham-based ‘Representing the Danger’ (RTD) in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, on  November 5, 2020, after an RTD member was stabbed in the leg. 

Thirteen members of the RTD gang travelled to Moston armed with knives, machetes and metal poles, where both gangs clashed.

During the incident, the 16-year-old tried to flee the scene but was chased, sustaining injuries before he was later surrounded and stabbed, slashed and kicked multiple times. Soyoye died at the scene despite efforts from members of the public to help him.

One of the suspects from the attack, Brent Tchipenda, was arrested at the Royal Oldham Hospital after a staff member became suspicious of the injuries he sustained. 

His arrest led to the identification and apprehension of several other men involved in the incident.

Investigations led to the arrests of eight individuals; seven of them were found guilty of murder and violent disorder, with a combined sentence of 146 years. 

They are Francesco Raji, 27, Christopher Semedo, 27, Brent Tchipenda, 23, Octavio Antonio, 24, Ismael Correia, 25, Nelson Correia, 27, and Braima Djalo, 21, 

Mohammed Al-Jaf, 25,  was convicted of manslaughter and violent disorder and was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment.

Detective Inspector Neil Higginson, from the Greater Manchester Police Crime Division, described the death of the teenager as senseless and brutal, adding the investigative process of the incident “never stopped.”

Mr Higginson said, “John Soyoye tragically lost his life in a brutal and senseless attack. While a number of those responsible were brought to justice in 2022, our investigation never stopped. We remained committed to locating those who had fled the country in an attempt to evade justice.

“Through close collaboration with the National Crime Agency and our international policing partners, these men have now been returned to the UK to face the consequences of their actions.

He added, “I hope these latest sentences provide John’s family and loved ones with some further sense that justice has been served. Our thoughts remain with them as they continue to live with the devastating impact of his murder.”