Fact Check: Has Hushpuppi Been Released and Deported to Nigeria? Viral Social Media Claim Debunked as False

Claims circulating on social media that convicted Nigerian internet celebrity Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, has been released from a U.S. prison and deported to Nigeria have been proven false. A viral post on X alleged that Hushpuppi was freed for good behaviour, supported by misleading images. However, fact-checks confirmed that Hushpuppi, sentenced in November 2022 to over 11 years for multi-million-dollar fraud, remains in U.S. federal custody and is not due for release until 2029. The images used in the viral claim were traced to an unrelated INTERPOL arrest in Nigeria, further discrediting the rumour.

IS This Hushpuppi's Brother?
A Nigerian man accvsed of cyber fravd, Lawrence Olanrewaju Folawunmi, has been detained at Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport in connection with a U.S. extradition request.

Folawunmi is sought by American authorities for alleged business email compromise and wire fravd schemes amounting to approximately $1.25 million.

He is said to have deceived a U.S. company into diverting funds on eight occasions between 2021 and 2025, leading to an Interpol red notice.

A Nigerian Federal High Court has ordered his remand in custody ahead of extradition proceedings to Texas.

This case underscores Nigeria's ongoing efforts to combat internet scams through international partnerships, often compared to the high-profile prosecution of convicted fraudster Hushpuppi.

I Won't Abandon Hushpuppi In Prison; He Lent Me His Maybach But I Paid For My Expenses– Daddy Freeze.

Daddy Freeze has clarified that convicted fraudster Hushpuppi never gave him any money, not even a 50-naira recharge card, and that their relationship was purely based on friendship. He stated that Hushpuppi was good to him by being his friend at a time when many people rejected him for criticizing their pastors.

Speaking on With Chude, Daddy Freeze explained that when he traveled to Dubai with Cool FM on a promotional trip paid for by an agency, Hushpuppi lent him his Maybach and driver for two days, but he paid for his own food and expenses. He emphasized that he will not abandon Hushpuppi now that he is in prison, just as Hushpuppi did not abandon him during his controversial period.

Daddy Freeze said: "I asked Hushpuppi what he did for a living. He said he was into real estate and sent me pictures. The average person who is doing something illegal still invests the money in real estate at the end. He was very good to me. Has never given me one naira before. Not even 50 kobo recharge card. He has never given me money. He was my friend when nobody accepted to be my friend because I criticized their pastors. That's the love, and I'm not going to run away from him because he's in prison. If he sends me 100 naira, EFCC can call me for questioning. He never gave me money. What he did was, for about two days when we were in Dubai, he gave me his Maybach and a driver to drive me around. I was the one buying fuel inside it."