The Federal Bureau of Investigation has alleged that Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas paid $20,600 (8 million Naira) to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to arrest and detain a co-conspirator, Chibuzo Kelly Vincent.
Chibuzo is one of the 6 people the FBI indicted over an elaborate scheme to defraud a Qatari businessperson of more than $1 million, masterminded by celebrity fraudster, Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas.
FBI’s investigations revealed that Chibuzo felt cheated in the deal the gang executed and demanded for more money or he would blow open the deal. He actually made good his threat by allegedly contacting the person being duped and telling him that Hushpuppi and his gang were fraudsters.
According to court documents, Hushpuppi was enraged and he contacted Abba Kyari to arrest and detain Chibuzo, promising payment.
A document issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California and dated February 12, 2021 said that after Hushpuppi contacted Kyari, the police officer sent an account number for the money to be paid to him.
“Kyari provided the account information for a bank account at a Nigerian bank, Zenith Bank, in the name of a person other than Kyari himself,” the document stated.
Detailing the events leading to the alleged payment, the document stated: “On January 16, 2020, Abbas sent a message to Kyari on WhatsApp, and then placed five calls to another phone number (+234806073****) that was listed as ‘Abba Kyari.’ Call records show that the last three of the calls were answered and that one of the calls lasted more than two minutes.
“Shortly after that, Abbas received a message from Kyari, confirming ‘We would pick him today or tomorrow.’ Abbas wrote, ‘I will take care of the team also after they pick him up.’ Kyari confirmed ‘Yes ooo.’”
The document averred that, based on the conversation described in paragraphs 143 to 145, Abbas planned to pay the Nigeria Police Force officers who arrested Chibuzo for that service.
The document adds that “this was not the only time that Abbas arranged payments with Kyari.”
The document reads: “On May 20, 2020, Abbas sent Kyari transaction receipts for two transactions from accounts at Nigerian banks (GTBank and Zenith Bank) of a person Abbas knew in the U.A.E.— a person also arrested with Abbas in Abbas’ apartment in the U.A.E. by Dubai Police on June 9, 2020 — to the Nigerian bank accounts of another person in Nigeria.
“The amounts on the transaction receipts totalled 8 million Nigerian Naira, which was approximately $20,600 based on publicly available exchange rate information.”
Explaining why Chibuzo was arrested, the FBI document stated: “Attempting to reason with Abbas, on January 18, 2020, Chibuzo recounted for Abbas all the assistance he had provided in the scheme to victimize the victim Businessperson, including creating the ‘power of attorney’ document, devising a story to tell the victim Businessperson, and facilitating the creation of the ‘telephone banking’ number and fake Wells Fargo website.
“On January 20, 2020, Kyari sent to Abbas a biographical, identifying information for Chibuzo, along with a photograph of him. In a conversation immediately following, Abbas confirmed, ‘that is him sir.’
“Kyari stated, ‘We have arrested the guy. He is in my cell now. This is his picture after we arrested him today’.”
Abba Kyari then sent details about Chibuzo and Chibuzo’s photograph to Hushpuppi using two different WhatsApp numbers, one of which is Kyari’s “private number” the document stated.
“From that point on, Kyari and Abbas primarily discussed the arrest and detention of Chibuzo through WhatsApp on this ‘private number,'” the document stated further.
“After receiving the photograph of Chibuzo, Abbas stated, ‘I want him to go through serious beating of his life.’ Kyari responded, ‘Hahahaha,’ and Abbas replied, ‘Seriously sir.’
“Kyari then asked for details about what Chibuzo did on audio, which Kyari said was ‘So that we will know what to do.’
“In response to Kyari’s question about what Chibuzo had done to Abbas, Abbas sent Kyari an audio message, which is transcribed here, describing how Chibuzo had tried to steal away a fraud victim (i.e., ‘the job’) from him.”
In the audio message, Hushpuppi explained to Abba Kyari that Chibuzo sent a message to their fraud victim “behind my back and try to divert the money.”
After listening to Hushpuppi’s audio message, Abba Kyari wrote back to him: “Ok I understand. But he has not succeeded.”
Abbas claimed Chibuzo had taken some money, and provided Kyari with two screenshots, one of which contained the phone number 3054405586 (the phone number Chibuzo used to contact the Victim Businessperson).
The document further alleged that “Abbas further told Kyari that he wanted to pay money to send Chibuzo to jail for a long time, stating, ‘Please sir, I want to spend money to send this boy to jail, let him go for a very long time.’
“Kyari responded, ‘Ok bro, I understand; I will discuss with my team who arrested him . . . And handling the case We will do something about it.’
“Abbas responded, ‘Let me know how I can send money to the team sir. Let them deal with him like armed robber.’ Kyari responded, ‘OK I will send their account details to u.’
“Abbas further wrote, ‘He betray me and try to take food out my mouth, this is great punishable sin,’ and Kyari responded, ‘Yeah bro.’
“Abbas then continued, ‘I want him to suffer for many years.’ Kyari responded, ‘Hahahaha! Hahahaha.'”
The document alleged that, “Approximately six minutes later, Kyari provided the account information for a bank account at a Nigerian bank, Zenith Bank, in the name of a person other than Kyari himself.
“Abbas responded, ‘Ok sir, tomorrow by noon,’ indicating that he would make the payment to Kyari’s team by the next day.”
After one month of being in detention, Chibuzo became ill and Abba Kyari allegedly reached out to Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abass to inform him.
The document reads: “Approximately a month later, on February 19, 2020, Kyari sent a message to Abbas, saying, ‘Hello hush with [sic] need to talk about the subject under detention with me.’
“Abbas asked, ‘Should I call u on this number sir?’ to which Kyari replied ‘Yes call me.’
“The following day, Kyari sent Abbas multiple photographs of Chibuzo to Abbas, including close-up photographs showing a rash or skin disease on Chibuzo’s torso and arms.
“Abbas responded, ‘I don pity am, make them leave am from Tuesday.’ Kyari wrote, ‘Ok bro, they just brought him from hospital. The fever and the rashes is giving him serious wahala. He got the disease from other suspects in the cell.’
“Abbas responded, ‘I see am, I no too pity am. That’s what people like him deserve, but I go forgive am for God sake.’
“Abbas then said, ‘No problem sir from Tuesday he can go,” apparently giving Kyari his blessing to release Chibuzo from custody.
“Kyari responded, ‘Ok bro. We will also keep his phone and other gadgets for some weeks.’ Abbas responded, ‘Yes those ones they should not give him again, those ones are gone . . . Make he no see those ones again for life.’
“Kyari responded, ‘Yes he will not see it again.’ “
