On the trial of Hushpuppi

The arrest of Nigerian-born international fraudster and Instagram celebrity, Ramoni Igbalode Abbas, otherwise known as Hushpuppi, by the E-police unit of the Dubai Police might have been a shock to his admirers but to well-meaning Nigerians, it was long expected because despite the fact that his source of opulence was not just and questionable, he still goes to social media to flaunt it.

It was from him that most of his social media followers saw the latest designer clothes, expensive watches and costly cars. On his arrest, the police discovered that he and his accomplices had accumulated 1.68bn through corporate mails and sending fake messages to clients and redirecting their financial transfers to their own accounts while 1,926,000 persons from different parts of the world were their victims.

Proverbs 11:21 states that the evil person will not go unpunished, but the children of the righteous will escape. My people also say lies may never be discovered in twenty years but one day the truth will surely be revealed.

He might’ve been arrested in the past, and had his way. However, with the look of things, this one will not be business as usual. He has been extradited to United States, where he is facing trial after being indicted for money laundering and other cybercrimes.

Hushpuppi’s extradition to US has uncovered things he never expected will be revealed; the Department of Justice of the United States published it on its website that he is accused of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars from business emails compromise (BEC) frauds and some other scams, which include targeting a U.S law, an English Premier League club and a foreign bank.

If he is found guilty of the allegations, he will spend 20 years of his life in the US prison. Meanwhile, chances that he will not be found guilty is very slim and uncertain. This reminds me of a Yoruba maxim which says “Ojo gbogbo n t’ole. Ojo kan ni fun olohun.”  Meaning every day is for the thief, one day is for the owner. I hope his trials serve as deterrent to other fraudsters and potential ‘hushpuppies’.

Aremu Lukman Umor

Lagos

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