British rapper DigDat has been jailed for life after he shot a rival artist six times from a stolen vehicle in a Notting Hill drive-by shooting.
The drill artist, real name Nathan Tokosi, hit Daniel Offei-Ntow in the head, mouth and body after pulling up beside him in West London on November 23, 2023.
The victim, who performs as Lugavelz was ‘lucky not to die’, the Old Bailey heard, and was found by police ‘in shock and severely injured’ a short time later at his flat after leaving a trail of blood from the scene.
His Mitsubishi Outlander remained in Notting Hill riddled with bullet holes and the interior covered in blood.
Police dogs recovered a latex glove and a black bag containing a firearm and three rounds of ammunition near to where Tokosi’s Audi was abandoned.
The London-born rapper’s family wept as he was sentenced to life behind bars with a minimum term of 24 years on Tuesday at the Old Bailey. He had been convicted of attempted murder and firearms offences over two trials last year.
Offei-Ntow has recently died, the court heard, although his passing was not connected to the shooting and there was no third party involved.
Tokosi had been riding high off the success of his single Air Force in 2018, which peaked at number 20 on the UK singles chart, but became caught up in the ‘fast-paced’ and ‘chaotic’ lifestyle that went with career, the court heard.
Rapper Nathan Tokosi (pictured), more commonly known by his stage name DigDat, has been sentenced to life in jail for his role in a Notting Hill drive-by shooting
Daniel Offei-Ntow (pictured), 27, was hit six times in the head, mouth and body when Tokosi, 26, shot at his car from a stolen Audi early on November 20, 2023. Offei-Ntow has since died, though his death was not related to the shooting
He has eight previous convictions for 13 offences, including violence dating back to the age of 11 when he punched a girl in the face and later punched and kneed a boy in the head in separate incidents four months apart.
At the age of 13, the defendant stabbed a victim in the ribcage during an altercation for which he was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to seven years’ youth detention and three years on extended licence.
Shannon Revel, defending, said: ‘He described that his job as a rapper effectively became an existence, rather than something that he could take time off from.’
‘Rising to success so quickly gave Tokosi no real time for reflection.’
Previously, prosecutor Kate Bex KC said the defendant was one of at least two people in a stolen Audi that pulled up beside Mr Offei-Ntow’s vehicle.
At least six shots were fired from a rear passenger window, Ms. Bex said, with investigators finding DNA belonging to Tokosi and artist Kamal Benjamin, also known as Wesson, in the Audi used for the shooting.
Further inquiries revealed that Tokosi had borrowed a BMW to make two trips on consecutive nights from his father’s home in Deptford, south-east London, to Notting Hill that weekend, the jury heard.
Tokosi, 26,achieved a top 20 UK single with his 2018 track Air Force and had collaborated with Headie One and Aitch (Pictured at Wireless Festival in 2021)
But the court was told that the artist had become caught up in the ‘fast-paced’ and chaotic’ lifestyle that went with his career
Ms Bex said it was clear Tokosi was involved in the shooting and there was no ‘innocent explanation’ for the BMW and the Audi being in the same west London location.
However further evidence, including Benjamin’s Instagram posts, showed the artist, whose DNA was at the scene, had left the UK in the days before the shooting.
Mr Benjamin posted a video on Instagram of Lil Durk, who had performed in Dubai four days before the shooting.
Another post the following month showed him in a nightclub with rapper 50 Cent, who had performed in Dubai on December 21, 2023.
At his attempted murder trial last February, Tokosi was also convicted of possessing a self-loading pistol and ammunition with intent to endanger life and possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition.
Following a second Old Bailey trial in November, Tokosi was further convicted of possessing a firearm and ammunition on February 4, 2024.
Helen Shaw, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘This was an utterly mindless attack which very nearly claimed a life.
‘That night, Nathan Tokosi clearly intended to kill his victim by shooting him in the head at a close range, with CCTV revealing Tokosi doing several drives around the area in a stolen Audi in the days and hours before the shooting.
Tokosi had borrowed a BMW to make two trips on consecutive nights from his father’s home in Deptford, south-east London, to Notting Hill that weekend, the jury heard
‘The Crown Prosecution Service was determined to ensure Tokosi was prosecuted for the full extent of his offending, and we hope today’s sentence will offer some closure to the victim’s family.’
Detective Inspector Chris Shepherd, from the Central South Borough Command Unit, said: ‘Tokosi’s actions were premeditated, reckless and malicious. He lied at trial, maintaining that he had no involvement whatsoever in the shooting.
‘The committed police investigation to bring Tokosi before the courts reflects our no-tolerance approach to gang violence on London’s streets.
‘I would like to credit the investigation team for their work bringing Tokosi to justice, as well as the officers and medical staff who treated the victim after the shooting.’
Detective Inspector Chris Shepherd, from Scotland Yard, said: ‘Tokosi’s actions were premeditated, reckless and malicious. He lied at trial, maintaining that he had no involvement whatsoever in the shooting.
‘The committed police investigation to bring Tokosi before the courts reflects our no-tolerance approach to gang violence on London’s streets.
‘I would like to credit the investigation team for their work bringing Tokosi to justice, as well as the officers and medical staff who treated the victim after the shooting.’
