Alleged Fraud: U.S. Court Issues Arrest Warrant to DCP
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, issued an arrest warrant by a U.S. court over his links to an alleged fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi.
The U.S. magistrate judge, Otis Wright, issued the warrant, which was confirmed by a spokesperson in the United States Attorney’s Office.
In a document the U.S. unsealed, the police commissioner was said to have arrested and jailed Mr Chibuzo Vincent at the request of Hushpuppi.
Mr Kyari also allegedly sent the alleged fraudster bank account details into which he could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.
However, Kyari had, in a Facebook post on Thursday, distanced himself from the allegations. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice stated that Hushpuppi had been involved “in an elaborate scheme to steal more than $1.1 million from a business person attempting to finance the construction of a school for children in Qatar.”
He added that the said Vincent was arrested due to claims by Hushpuppi that he (Vincent) had seriously threatened to attack his family in Nigeria. But, a communiqué from the U.S. court revealed that the arrest was made after Vincent threatened to expose a $1m fraud committed against a Qatari business person.
Kyari said Vincent had been released on bail after they discovered no actual threats. According to him, “Nobody demanded a kobo from Abbas Hushpuppi,”
“Our focus was to save people’s lives that were purported to have been threatened,” Kyari said.”
The Deputy Commissioner also said Hushpuppi once sent N300,000 to his (Kyari) tailor after he (Hushpuppi) admired some of his outfits on social media.
The clothes “were brought to our office and he sent somebody to collect them in our office,” Kyari added.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered an “internal review of the allegations” against the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.
The IGP stated further that the Force is committed to the quest for justice and strengthening its professional relationship with the FBI and other international partners. He added that the public would be informed on developments.
