How the US caught flashy Nigerian Instagrammers 'with $40m'

The day after his 29th birthday in May, Olalekan Jacob Ponle posted a picture on his Instagram standing next to a bright yellow Lamborghini in Dubai.

"Stop letting people make you feel guilty for the wealth you've acquired," he admonished, wearing designer jewellery and Gucci clothes from head to toe.

A month later, the Nigerian, who goes by the name "mrwoodbery" on Instagram, was arrested by Dubai Police for alleged money laundering and cyber fraud.

The most famous of the dozen Africans nabbed in the dramatic operation was 37-year-old Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, "hushpuppi" or just "hush" as he was known by his 2.4 million Instagram followers.

Police in the emirate say they recovered $40m (£32m) in cash, 13 luxury cars worth $6.8m, 21 computers, 47 smartphones and the addresses of nearly two million alleged victims.Mr Abbas and Mr Ponle were both extradited to the US and charged in a Chicago court with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and laundering hundreds of millions of dollars obtained from cybercrimes.

The two have not yet been asked to plead and are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

"I think there's probably a certain arrogance when they believe they've been careful about maintaining anonymity in their online identities, but they live high on the hog and get careless on social media," said Glen Donath, a former senior prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office in Washington, DC.

It is a spectacular crash for the two Nigerian men who extensively documented their high-flying lifestyle on social media, raising questions about the sources of their wealth.

They unwittingly provided crucial information about their identities and activities for American detectives with their Instagram and Snapchat posts.

They are accused of impersonating legitimate employees of various US companies in "business email compromise" (BEC) schemes and tricking the recipients into wiring millions of dollars into their own accounts.

On Instagram, hushpuppi said he was a real estate developer and had a category of videos called "Flexing" - social media lingo for showing off. But the "houses" were actually a codeword for bank accounts "used to receive proceeds of a fraudulent scheme", investigators allege.

"Our value system in Nigeria needs to be checked, especially the emphasis we place on wealth, no matter how you got it," the economist Ebuka Emebinah told the BBC from New York.

"It's a culture where people believe that results speak for you. We don't place as much emphasis on the process and this has built up over time."

In April, hushpuppi renewed his lease for another year at the exclusive Palazzo Versace apartments in Dubai under his real name and phone number.

"Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings in my life. Continue to shame those waiting for me to be shamed," he captioned an Instagram picture of a Rolls-Royce just a fortnight before he was arrested.

"Abbas finances this opulent lifestyle through crime, and he is one of the leaders of a transnational network that facilitates computer intrusions, fraudulent schemes (including BEC schemes), and money laundering, targeting victims around the world in schemes designed to steal hundreds of millions of dollars," the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) said in an affidavit.

BBC News

Youths attack Church of Satan’s Pastor, demolish structure

A pastor in-charge of Assemblies of Light Bearer Greater Church of Lucifer, popularly known as Church of Satan, Ohafia, Abia State, Ifekwe Udo, has narrowly escaped being lynched by angry youths of Ebem Ohafia community.

Udo is said to be cooling off in police custody after being whisked away by a team of personnel of the Abia State command of the Nigeria Police Force.

It was gathered before the arrival of the police team, angry youths had already pulled down his church building and other monuments/statues in the compound.

It was gathered that police had arrested Udo, also known as Lucifer or Fada-Fada, earlier in the week for violating the lockdown protocol directives of the State and Federal government.

Udo, who is reported to own a brothel in Ohafia, was also said to have been arrested for allegedly terrorising the community.

The development forced youths of the area to destroy the satanic images outside his church when he was arrested.A native of the community, who gave his name simply as Kalu, said people of Ohafia knew his evil practices but nobody could confront him because of his claimed connections with evil forces.

Another source, who simply identified himself as Chukwudi, said: “The evil that this man commits in this community is too much. The destruction of his church was done not only by youths in the villages, but including others that came from Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.“This man has been snatching wives from men with charm. He has been doing all manner of things including collecting land by force.

“We learnt that he made young men to deposit their sperm in a calabash. His hotel is known for series of notorious activities including promoting prostitution and homosexuality. Our youths are becoming irresponsible and wayward as a result of this man’s activities.

“He is dragging the name of our community to the mud and that is why the youths have decided to rise up against him, because if this is allowed to continue, the danger it will bring to our community and the state in general will be unimaginable.”

The Nation

Nigerian Students Won’t Write 2020 WAEC – FG

Final year secondary school students in Nigeria won’t participate in the forthcoming West African Examination Council(WAEC) examinations, the Federal Government has declared.

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who disclosed this to State House Correspondents on Wednesday after the week’s virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, also said there is no date for school resumption yet.

He said he would prefer Nigerian students lose an academic year to expose them to dangers.

The Nation

When Will Smith was Abused by Police

Will Smith has been racially abused by police "on more than 10 occasions".

The 'Bad Boys' actor admitted he got stopped "frequently" by officers in Philadelphia, who used derogatory language towards him because of his skin colour.

Speaking on podcast 'On One With Angela Rye', he said: "I grew up in Philadelphia. I grew up under Mayor Rizzo. He went from the chief of police to becoming the mayor, and he had an iron hand.

"I've been called n***** by the cops in Philly on more than 10 occasions.

"I got stopped frequently. So I understand what it's like to be in those circumstances with the police."

The 51-year-old star thinks the global Black Lives Matter protests are unprecedented and he's pleased so many people have pledged their support to ending racism.

He said: "We are in a circumstance that we've never been in before.

"The entire globe has stood up and said to the African American people, 'We see you and we hear you. How can we help?' We've never been there before."

While Will can understand the anger many people feel about racism, he warned about the dangers of being "consumed" by rage.

He said: "Rage is justified under oppression. But it also can be really dangerous.

"You got to be careful not to be consumed by your own rage, and that's something that I've worked really hard on."

Instead, the 'Men in Black' star thinks peaceful protests are the most powerful demonstration against oppression.

He said: "Peaceful protests put a mirror to the demonic imagery of your oppressor. And the more still you are in your peaceful protest, the more clear the mirror is for your oppressor -- for the world to see and for them to see themselves.

"I was really encouraged by how powerfully this generation was able to hold that mirror, and then the response of the world seeing and responding. I was deeply encouraged by the innate connectivity of the protesters, globally."

However, while Will doesn't think racism and prejudice will ever be completely eradicated, he hopes the next generation will use their votes and lead with love as they strive to make changes.

He said: ""Don't succumb to lovelessness no matter how much evil you face, because [then] you poison yourself and you poison your own community.

"I am pledging my unending devotion to the evolution of my community and the evolution of my country, and ultimately the world, towards the greatest harmony that we'll be able to create.

"I am happy to be alive during this time, and to serve."

Magu’s Travail Persists as Presidential Investigation Enters Fourth Week

The travail of Acting Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, persisted yesterday as the presidential investigation of his alleged wrongdoing entered the fourth week with widespread speculation that he might have been suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Although there was no official confirmation of the speculated suspension, a reliable presidency source said last night that the presidential panel has recommended that the anti-graft boss stands down pending the outcome of the investigation.That Magu is on his way out was given credence by an off-the-record briefing yesterday by a top presidential official who said the ongoing investigation of Magu was a bold statement that nobody under the Buhari administration is above the law.

Magu, who was flagged down on Monday in traffic by senior security agents and whisked to the Villa to appear before the presidential panel investigating allegations of corrupt practices levelled against him by the Attorney-General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN, was brought before the panel led by Justice Ayo Salami again on Tuesday.
However, the panel was said to have recommended the suspension of the EFCC chairman to pave the way for his unhindered investigation.

 Malami had in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari detailed alleged cases of malfeasance against Magu, and sought his removal for alleged corruption and insubordination.
Malami anchored his recommendation on several grounds “raging from diversion of recovered loot to insubordination and misconduct” by Magu; while including a shortlist of three candidates for consideration to replace the anti-corruption agency’s boss.The president subsequently constituted the Justice Salami panel to investigate the allegations with a clear mandate to ensure fairness for Magu.

The panel went to work four weeks ago taking evidence on the allegations, and in keeping with the presidential mandate on fairness invited Magu on Monday to confront the weight of evidence against him.The suspension of Magu had been communicated to the anti-corruption agency’s headquarters.

However, the source stated that the next most senior EFCC official next to Magu had been asked to take charge.
But another source said the ongoing investigation of Magu had created a lull in the activities of the agency as no one is currently in charge.

He explained that the seeming leadership vacuum triggered speculations yesterday that Buhari had suspended Magu.
The story might have been conceived by some staff of the commission who thought that its publication would force the hand of the president to do so.

Source: THISDAY Newspaper

I’m ready to pray for COVID-19 patients in isolation centres – T.B Joshua

Pastor Temitope Joshua of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has said that he is ready to virtually offer prayer for COVID-19 patients in isolation centres around the world.

In an announcement posted to Joshua’s YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, the cleric called on relevant government and medical authorities to “organise those who are in isolation” and “arrange how to connect them to us on Emmanuel TV”.

“The blessing of Jesus is for those who knock and ask,” he said in the announcement, adding, “In whatever way you support to make this happen, we are a team; we are not doing more than you”.“Together we shall pray for them. Together we shall be set free from this COVID-19,” the statement continued, quoting the Biblical reference in Luke 4:40 where Jesus healed “all who had various kinds of sickness after the mass prayer.”

“The same anointing that heals one is also able to heal all at the same time,” it concluded, calling on all interested parties to contact the church via their email address info@emmanuel.tv.

Last week, the World Health Organisation reacted to a trending video in which a Cameroonian medical doctor was ‘healed’ from COVID-19 after receiving “interactive prayer” from Joshua’s ministry, acknowledging “spiritual leadership is very important in a time like this”.

His testimony was followed days later by a couple of university lecturers who equally acknowledged receiving healing from the dreaded virus, replete with medical reports before and after prayers from Emmanuel TV.

Since starting its ‘Interactive Prayer’ – in which online prayer is offered via video calls – Joshua’s ministry has prayed for COVID-19 patients from around the world including citizens of USA, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Honduras and Cuba.

The Nation

Seputagarian rapes nine-year-old in Niger

Seventy- year- old Mohammed Sani escaped lynching when he was caught raping a nine year old girl in his shop.

Sani, who was caught red handed by neighbours who heard the scream of the girl, was made to walk gal naked to the police station in Chanchaga.

The incident occurred in Kasuwan Dare in the Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger state.

The suspect had asked the victim to meet him at his tailor shop to give her a gift, which he got for her.

Sani, whose shop had an inner room, dragged the victim and raped her.

Her screams attracted people around who waited outside the closed shop to see what was happening.

Unaware that he had been caught, the suspect, after raping the victim, came outside the shop to meet the crowd waiting for him.

Searching his shop, some of the women saw the victim crying with blood dripping out from her legs.

The Nation