Suspected Nigerian internet fraudster, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, alias Hushpuppi, faces a possible 15 – 25 years in US federal prison if convicted of the many crimes he is being charged with. The news of his arrest broke on the internet in June, creating a viral maelstrom of discussions by Nigerians on social media. Conversations then mostly centered on his extravagant lifestyle, details about his arrest and where he would be extradited to and prosecuted. Some of those answers are finally answered by his extradition to the US.
According to a press release from the U.S Department of Justice, the suspected Nigerian fraudster conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams, including schemes targeting a U.S. law firm, a foreign bank and an English Premier League soccer club.
Federal prosecutors in L.A. charge Dubai resident who flaunted his extravagant lifestyle on social media in a wide-ranging conspiracy to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams.https://t.co/dBhZI4s3pC pic.twitter.com/aroKOIPrdR
— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) July 3, 2020
Reacting to this update on Twitter, the socialite, Hushpuppi is currently topping trends, alongside #20years which is how much time he has to serve in federal prison if found guilty of the crimes. Many Nigerians are talking about what this means for them as a few have shared that Hushpuppi’s actions have tainted Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.
As it appears the many Nigerians who contributing to the trend are trying to protect the image of the many hard-working Nigerians, they are reminding people that there are hard-working Nigerians and that not all Nigerians are criminals and fraudsters.
Others, however, pointed out that it makes no sense for Nigerians to expend energy defending themselves and the country’s reputation over the arrest of one man as they pointed out that a criminal is not defined by his country but just by his actions. They stressed that Hushpuppi and his cohorts should be identified only based on what they have done as they berated Nigerians who were validating themselves over the update.
Some, however, went further to suggest the economy and the hardship in Nigeria caused by the negligence of our leaders is responsible for the corruption that is perpetrated by Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.