HUSHPUPPI: EFCC says it’s not involved in arrest, as INTERPOL reveals plans to extradite Instagram celeb

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied its involvement in the arrest of popular Instagram celebrity, Ramon Igbalode, better known on social media as Hushpuppi.

The acting chairman of the anti-graft agency, Ibrahim Magu revealed this on Friday in an interview with TVC but however said that if INTERPOL provides details, they’ll be ready to assist.

“We are yet to be involved in the case of Hushpuppi, but if they happen to give us this thing (details) we would assist.” Magu said

The EFCC boss also denied allegations that the agency is mostly interested in the arrest and prosecution of internet fraudsters claiming that the Commission also rehabilitates the suspects arrested for internet fraud.

“We are not all about arresting, prosecuting and chasing internet fraudsters, and taking away the proceeds of their crime, but we are also trying to see whether we can rehabilitate them.

“Because most of these boys are either undergraduate or graduate from higher institutions, so they can be better people to our country. The menace of Yahoo boys is also a course of concern; we are collaborating with other law enforcement agencies.

“Yahoo boys have an association with their mothers who do not feel what their children are doing is a crime actually.

“It is called the “Yahoo Yahoo Mothers Association, a situation where the mother would go abroad and the child would stay there and help them syphon funds from credit card fraud.

READ ALSO: INTERPOL grants EFCC access to its intelligence-sharing system that connects 194 countries

“So we are doing everything possible to arrest the situation,” Magu concluded.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police (CP) INTERPOL in Nigeria, Garba Umar, confirmed the arrest of Hushpuppi and two other suspects in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Umar said; “It is true that Hushpuppi was arrested by the INTERPOL. We are currently working on bringing him to Nigeria to face charges of fraud. Some of the offences were committed here in Nigeria and he has to answer for them. He is not alone in it; there are accomplices in the country and we are currently on their trail.

“Hushpuppi and two of his associates, Mr Woodberry and Efe, were arrested three days ago, June 10, for allegedly hacking into the United States (US) unemployed database and impersonating citizens qualified for unemployment funds.

According to reports, Huspuppi and his accomplices in Nigeria, Dubai and other countries allegedly defrauded the US government of over $100 million meant for Native Americans in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

They were arrested after weeks of investigation by the US Secret Service, following the alarm raised in May about a crime ring of suspected Nigerians who broke into the personal information of citizens and used false unemployment claims to cart away hundreds of millions of dollars reserved to help jobless American people.

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