#Other countries : Nigerian police on Thursday ordered an investigation into one of its chiefs after a Nigerian social media celebrity currently on trial for fraud in the United States claimed he was her accomplice, a statement said.
Deputy Police Commissioner Abba Kyari has been implicated by Nigerian influencer Ramos Abbas, known as Hushpuppi, who pleaded guilty to money laundering and other crimes, according to US court documents.
Nigerian police said they “ordered an internal investigation” after receiving an indictment from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) against Mr. Kyari, according to the statement signed by police spokesman France Mba.
Hushpuppi’s cyber-criminal scams have cost victims nearly $ 24 million (€ 20 million) in total, the FBI claims.
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This 37-year-old Nigerian, posting a luxurious lifestyle on social networks, participated “in an elaborate ploy to steal more than $ 1.1 million (920,000 euros) from a businessman who wanted to finance the construction of a ‘a school in Qatar,’ according to the FBI.
The influencer pleaded guilty in this affair “as well as for several other online scams”, adds the American agency.
The accused claimed to have paid Police Commissioner Abba Kyari a bribe to arrest one of his former associates, Kelly Chibuzo Vincent.
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Abba Kyari, famous in Nigeria for carrying out high-profile investigations, has denied the allegations against him.
“No one asked Abbas Hushpuppi for money and no one collected money from him,” the officer wrote on his Facebook page.
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