THEY call him Hushpuppi. But his real name is Ramon Olorunwa Abbas. Ray Hushpuppi, better known as Hushpuppi, made waves in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he lived large. Throwing money around like confetti, showing off his posh cars and exotic houses, his arrest brought his world crashing down. When he found himself in the United States (US) following his arrest in Dubai, he knew that the game is up.
But something told me that he would bring some people down with him. Smooth operators like Hushpuppi do not go down alone. They fight with all they have when the chips are down and pull strings to get freed. They do not stay in custody for long upon being arrested because they have what it takes to influence their release: money. With their money, they can buy anything, including justice. That is if they are ever brought to book. In most instances, their cases end at the level of police investigations, where they bribe their way out.
Those who know them usually express surprise when they see them in the streets again, shortly after their reported arrest. Hushpuppi was so sure that he had every loose end sewn up in Dubai despite knowing that the law was after him. The scales have fallen off his eyes and he now knows better. His cooperation with detectives in the US is yielding results, with the arrest of others involved in the large scale scam he was into. Hushpuppi made a fortune from defrauding people, but instead of lying low to enjoy his illicit wealth, he flaunted it to the chagrin of many across the world.
Who is this boy? Where is he from? Who are his parents? Can they not talk to him? Many asked as they watched stupefied his crass display of wealth on social media. Whatever he is facing today, certainly Ramoni brought it upon himself. But what do we say of Abba Kyari, who has been linked to him? Kyari is a deputy commissioner of police, who enjoys the confidence of his bosses. He is always given the tough jobs because they are certain that he would deliver. He never let them down as he cracked those cases.
As a seasoned officer, Kyari is expected to smell from a distance who a shady character is. That police sense in him should tell him who to associate with and who not to be seen with. You do not become a ‘super cop’ overnight. You attain that height by being circumspect and wary of the company you keep. An officer like Kyari, especially, should know that he would be the target of dangerous elements, who have only two options when it concerns him. The options are either to befriend him or take him out. Most of them go for the first choice because they know the consequences of killing a policeman. They have signed their death warrant if they do that.
Kyari could not have been cracking tough cases like armed robbery, kidnapping, large scale fraud running into billions of naira without having friends, call them informants if you like, in the underworld. He cannot say that through these informants he has not heard about the exploits of oneHushpuppi. How did the policeman in him react when he heard about Hushpuppi? Was it to help in arresting him or what? Even though Hushpuppi did not operate from Nigeria, his scam network covered Nigeria. So, there should have been a collaboration between our police and their counterparts elsewhere to nail him.
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Considering the global activities of Hushpuppi, one should expect the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to keep a tab on him because sooner or later he may have one ‘business’ or two to do here as he does in other parts of the world. So, any police officer worth his uniform should have been on his guard over a person like that. Kyari, with the amount of information at his disposal, is expected to know better when it comes to matters like this. Who or what do we say is responsible for his being drawn into the Hushpuppimatter? His carelessness or a plot by those envious of him to do him in?
From what has been gathered from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indictment of Kyari, Hushpuppi and four others, it seems they (Kyari and Hushpuppi) had known each other long before the Vincent Chibuzor arrest, which has now got Kyari into trouble. Hushpuppi told investigators that he paid Kyari to get Vincent arrested. Vincent’s offence: he tried to alert a business victim (that is a maga in local parlance) that the deal he was going into was a scam. Vincent wanted to squeal on Hushpuppi for edging him out of the scam.
Hushpuppi reportedly called Kyari to arrest Vincent and keep him out of circulation until the deal is sealed. Kyari complied. His own story is that Vincent was arrested for threateningHushpuppi’s family. If Hushpuppi did not know Kyari before then, he would not have sought the officer’s help for his family’s protection. Where did he know Kyari? In what circumstances did they meet? Were they introduced to each other? Who introduced them? Did Kyari not know ofHushpuppi’s activities before then?
What business did they do together before then? HadHushpuppi ever sought Kyari’s help in arresting any other person before or after the Vincent case? Is the Vincent case an isolated matter?
Kyari’s Face Book kaftan story of their meeting sounds somehow. Hushpuppi saw his profile picture in kaftan and fell in love with the attire. He then sent N300,000 for six of such attires. The money was paid into the designer’s account but the attire was collected in Kyari’s office. Since when did the police station become a delivery agency? When I saw Kyari’s picture with Obi Cubana at the latter’s mother’s funeral in Oba, Anambra State, last month, I just shook my head in astonishment. What does this police officer think he is doing? I wondered. Then the Hushpuppi scandal blew open.
By virtue of his work, Kyari should not be seen leading a glamorous life. He is better off operating quietly than competing for public attention with the so-called ‘big boys’. He has now been suspended from work as leader of the prestigious Intelligence Response Team (IRT), pending investigation into the FBI allegations against him. Whatever happens to him next will depend on how he led his life in the past.
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