By Gabriel Atumeyi
365Daily– A United States of America Court has issued a warrant of arrest for Nigeria’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Abba Kyari, over his alleged role in Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi’s multi-million dollar fraud probe.
Otis Wright of the United States District Court for the Central District of California ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to track down Mr Kyari and produce him in the United States to face allegations of complicity.
Abbas was arrested in Dubai last June and he pleaded guilty to fraud in the U.S. this week.
According to the FBI, Abbas and Kyari have been friends and were both involved in a conspiracy to launder money.
365Daily gathered that court documents revealed that American prosecutors first sought a court warrant to arrest Kyari on February 12, 2021 and a subsequent warrant requested on April 29, 2021.
Judge Wright’s permission for the FBI to arrest Mr Kyari and hold him in U.S. custody was unsealed on July 26.
365Daily had earlier reported how Hushpuppi allegedly bribed Kyari to have one of his rivals arrested and jailed in Nigeria, following a dispute over a $1.1million defrauding of a Qatari businessperson.
Abbas said he had asked Kyari to arrest and jail a fellow fraudster, Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, after both were locked in a dispute, presumably over how to share the $1.1million loot received from the Qatari businessperson.
Abbas had pleaded guilty to a multi-million fraud earlier this month and faces up to 20 years in jail.
He will be sentenced in the coming weeks and will forfeit some of his assets and his rights to appeal while also paying restitution to victims of his years-long fraud.
However, Kyari in a statement on Facebook page, has, dismissed the allegations of bribe.
Kyari wrote: “Friends: Abbas who we later came to know as Hushpuppi called our office about 2years ago that somebody in Nigeria seriously threatened to kill his family here in Nigeria and he sent the person’s phone number and pleaded we take action before the person attacks his family.
“We traced and arrested the suspect and after investigations we discovered there wasn’t an actual threat to anyone’s life and they are long time friends who have money issues between them hence we released the suspect on bail to go and he was not taken to any jail.
“Nobody demanded for a kobo from Abbas Hushpuppi. Our focus was to save people’s lives that were purported to have been threatened.
“Later, he saw some of my native clothes and caps on my social media page and he said he likes them and he was connected to the person selling the clothes and he sent about N300k directly to the person’s account. The native Ccothes and caps (5 sets) were brought to our office and ge sent somebody to collect them in our office.
“Nobody demanded any money from Abbas Hushpuppi and nobody collected any money from him. We responded to a distress call he made on threat to his family and released the Suspect when we discovered there was no life threat from the Suspect. This is the true story. Vincent is alive, he can be contacted,” Kyari said.