Girl, 16, arrested on suspicion of murder over fatal stabbing of man in South London

A 16-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the stabbing of a man in south-east London.

Ayodeji Habeeb Azeez, 22, from Dagenham, east London, was stabbed and pronounced dead on Sunday in what detectives believe was an attack by four or five suspects.

The teenage girl, who was arrested on Friday morning, is the third person to be arrested over the stabbing.

Two men, aged 19 and 21, were arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday and both have been released under investigation.

Mr Azeez was seen running with four or five male suspects before he was attacked, detectives said.

“The suspects fled in one direction while Ayodeji went the other way before he collapsed,” said Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the stabbing in a bid to learn whether anyone else was with Mr Azeez when he was killed.

“This attack took place in the middle of the day, in broad daylight in a residential street. It goes without saying that this incident would have stood out,” Mr Cranwell said.

“We need information from the public to assist us in keeping the momentum of this investigation moving forward.”

Mr Azeez was one of five people stabbed to death in London in a bloody week of violence in the capital.

A post-mortem examination on Friday found Mr Azeez died from multiple stab wounds.

The day after Azeez’s death, John Ogunjobi, 16, was also killed in Tulse Hill, south London and became the 119th violent death in London so far this year.

And there have been five murders over the past week in south London.

Chief Supt Simon Messinger, said extra officers had been drafted into the area following the stabbings.

‘We have seen a spate of fatal stabbings in south London recently, with five murders over the course of the last week.

‘One murder is one too many, with the devastation it causes to families, friends and communities difficult to comprehend.’