Deputy police commissioner Abba Kyari denies receiving bribe from Hushpuppi to jail business partner

DEPUTY police commissioner Abba Kyari has denied receiving a bribe from a Nigerian Instagram celebrity Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi in response to his recent indictment by a US court over the matter.

In court documents released by the United States Department of Justice yesterday, Mr Kyari was said to have been bribed by Hushpuppi to arrest one Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, 40, in Nigeria. Titled Six Indicted in International Scheme to Defraud Qatari School Founder and then Launder over $1m in Illicit Proceeds, the indictment accused Hushpuppi of creating bogus documents and arranging for the creation of a fake bank website and phone banking line to support the defrauding of a business person trying to provide $1.1m for the funding of a school in Qatar.

Mr Vincent was said to have contacted the businessman after a dispute with Hushpuppi and other members of the syndicate to expose the fraud. Angered by his move, Hushpuppi ordered Mr Kyari to arrest him in Nigeria and lock him up.

Apparently, after arresting and locking up Vincent, Mr Kyari reportedly sent photos as confirmation to Hushpuppi, who sent the police officer some money via a provided bank account number. Already, Hushpuppi has pleaded guilty to charges filed against him by the United States government for money laundering.

However, reacting to the allegations, Mr Kyari said his hands are clean, pointing out that nobody demanded money from the embattled Instagram influencer. He explained that Hushpuppi had informed the police that somebody in Nigeria was threatening to kill his family and sent the suspect’s phone number, urging the police to act fast to save his family.

According to Mr Kyari, the suspect was allowed to go after investigations showed they were long time friends with disagreements over money. Mr Kyari insisted that he did not demand a dime from Hushpuppi, saying the only time they had discussions about money was when the fraudster demanded to know who sews his native clothes and caps.

He that after linking both parties, Hushpuppi sent N300,000 for five sets of attires. Mr Kyari said the clothes and caps were delivered to his office after which someone collected them for Hushpuppi and urged anyone interested in further pursuing the matter to contact Mr Vincent for confirmation.

Mr Kyari said: “For those who are celebrating that this is an indictment on us and mentioning some fictitious big money, they will be disappointed once again as our hands are clean and our record of service for two decades is open for everybody to see. They will continue seeing us serving our fatherland and we will continue responding to all distress calls from all Nigerians provided they are life threatening.

“For good Nigerians who appreciate our service, please don’t worry as our hands are clean and they should please not respond to those celebrating and creating many false narratives without any evidence. We are used to such types of people and false newsmakers and distributors.”