NEWS
Hushpuppi finally faces last Trial
By Funmilayo Olusanya
Socialite Ramon Abbas, a.k.a Hushpupi, has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison after he was convicted of laundering earnings from a school finance scam, business email hack, and other fraudulent cyber operations, by the United States District Court sitting at the Central District of California on Monday.
The Instagram celebrity was also ordered by a federal judge to pay $1.7m in restitution to two fraud victims, the US Department of Justice said in a statement on Tuesday.
Justice Otis Wright in his ruling brought an end to Hushpuppi’s trial, which had been ongoing since his arrest in June 2020 at a hotel flat in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Office, Don Alway, in the statement, described Hushpuppi as “one of the most prolific money launderers in the world.”
Hushpuppi was extradited to the United States on July 3.
He was arrested for defrauding over 1.9 million people, majority of whom were Americans.
He also pleaded guilty to the charges filed against him.
Read Also >> Police Arrest Soldier for stabbing 34-year-old trader to death in Abia
An online news platform, Premium Times, reported that Hushpuppi’s wife, Regina Manneh, and two Imams, wrote separately from Lagos and Borno states to the US district court to beg for leniency.
According to the platform, Hushpuppi was referred to in the letter as “a frequent donator” to the mosque by Rasaq Olopede, the imam of Lagos’ Imisi-Oluwa Mosque.
In another letter, Hushpuppi received praise from Hudu Abdulrasak of Madrasatul Ahlul-Bait Islamiya in Maiduguri, Borno State, for his charitable deeds for widows and orphans.
On November 4, letters were submitted to the US District Court in support of the convicted person’s prior request for a lenient punishment.
Biztellers gathered that Hushpuppi was still being held in the Metropolitan Detention Centre, from where he would be moved to a federal prison.
The Director of Media Relations, United States Attorney’s Office, Thom Mrozek, while responding to an email from our correspondent on Tuesday, said, “He probably has not been transferred to a prison yet.
He will serve his sentence in a federal prison somewhere in the United States. The specific facility will be determined by the U. S. Bureau of Prisons, which administers those facilities and has the exclusive authority to determine where a prisoner will be housed.”
A rights lawyer, Abdul Mahmud, said Abbas deserved life jail.
He said, “The conviction of Abass shows how nations elsewhere take the issue of cybercrime as a national security issue, which interrogates the economic interests of the state.
“I wish he had been sentenced to life. We don’t often consider the effects of cybercrime on victims – people who lose their life’s financial worth.”
Festus Ogun, another attorney, said that the punishment was appropriate for the crime and that the nation’s justice system may benefit from it.
Oil marketers have warned that Nigerians may soon pay as much as ₦1,500 per litre for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, as global oil prices surge following the escalating conflict involving Iran in the Middle East.
The National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, issued the warning on Tuesday while speaking on a television programme on the impact of the global crisis on fuel prices.
According to him, the current volatility in the international oil market has already pushed petrol prices above ₦1,000 per litre at the depot level, with the ex-depot price from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery now standing at about ₦1,175 per litre.
He explained that once logistics, transportation, and other operational costs are added, the final pump price could rise significantly, possibly reaching ₦1,500 per litre in the near future.
Despite concerns about the rising cost of fuel, Gillis-Harry noted that steady availability of petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery remains a major relief for Nigeria, stressing that consistent supply is better than a nationwide fuel scarcity.
He added that the refinery’s production capacity is helping to stabilize supply across the country at a time when global markets remain highly unstable.
The latest price adjustment by the Dangote Refinery marks the fourth review within two weeks. Petrol prices increased from ₦995 per litre to ₦1,175 per litre, while diesel rose from ₦1,430 to about ₦1,620 per litre.
The development comes amid a sharp spike in international crude oil prices triggered by fears of supply disruptions due to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Brent crude recently climbed above $102 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose to around $101 per barrel.
Industry analysts say the rising oil prices are already having a ripple effect on Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, forcing depot operators and fuel marketers to adjust their prices in response to the global market trend.
Meanwhile, the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stated that although Nigeria introduced a crude-for-naira arrangement to support local refineries, the facility still purchases crude oil at international market prices, leaving it exposed to global price fluctuations.
The United Nations has raised the alarm over a dramatic surge in attacks on schools worldwide, reporting a 166% increase between 2021 and 2024.
The rise highlights the escalating dangers faced by children in conflict zones.
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, revealed the figures during the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on the rights of the child on Monday.
The session, themed “Mainstreaming the Rights of Children in Armed Conflict: Prevention and Protection,” focused on protecting children amid global conflicts.
Al-Nashif noted that the attacks were particularly concentrated in Sudan, Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Myanmar, and Ethiopia, where children remain among the most vulnerable victims.
“In 2024, armed conflict directly affected nearly one in six children globally—about 470 million children,” she said. “Years of lost education, trauma, and lasting mental scars shape societies for generations. Long after the fighting subsides, children continue to face deadly risks.”
She highlighted Gaza as having the world’s highest number of child amputees per capita, warning that the impact of war goes far beyond immediate violence.
In Lebanon, government figures show that more than 450,000 people were displaced in less than a week, with at least 394 fatalities, including 83 children, during the 2024 conflict with Israel.
Al-Nashif also stressed the disproportionate risks for displaced children, who are more likely to die from disease linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a 2025 cholera outbreak killed 340 children, underscoring the long-term consequences of conflict.
She called on states to uphold their international obligations to protect children, insisting that protecting children is “both a legal obligation and a humanitarian moral imperative.”
Also speaking at the council, Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that violence against children continued at extreme levels in 2025.
She urged mainstreaming child protection across peace, security, humanitarian, human rights, and development efforts, emphasizing that children should actively participate in shaping policies designed to safeguard them.
Frazier highlighted her office’s global campaign, “Prove It Matters,” aimed at amplifying children’s voices in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
The UN report underscores the urgent need for coordinated international action to protect children and ensure their safety in conflict zones worldwide.
Portugal officially inaugurated its new president, Antonio Jose Seguro, on Monday, pledging to bring stability to a nation shaken by political uncertainty and natural disasters.
Seguro, the centre-left candidate, won last month’s presidential run-off against far-right rival Andre Ventura, following weeks of catastrophic storms that killed at least seven people and caused approximately €4 billion ($4.6 billion) in damage.
Speaking at his swearing-in ceremony in Lisbon’s parliament, Seguro emphasized cooperation with the minority right-wing government and vowed to end the country’s “electoral frenzy.”
SEE MORE: Spain, Portugal Plunge Into Darkness Amid Widespread Power Outage
“I will do everything I can to put an end to this electoral frenzy,” he said, pointing to the inability of previous governments to complete their terms.
Amid global crises, including conflicts in the Middle East and a more isolationist US approach under President Donald Trump, Seguro stressed the importance of multilateralism.
“The force of law has been replaced by the power of the strongest,” he remarked.
Seguro succeeds Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a conservative who leaves office at 77 after serving two five-year terms.
While the Portuguese presidency is largely ceremonial, Seguro’s leadership signals a commitment to political stability and international engagement.
Fuel Price Shock: Nigerians May Soon Pay ₦1,500 Per Litre – Marketers Warn
Political Earthquake in Zamfara as Gov Lawal Dumps PDP for APC
Court Pushes Malami, Son’s Terrorism Financing Trial to April 15
African Club Football Gets Major Financial Boost as CAF Hikes Prize Money
Abramovich Clashes with UK Gov’t Over £2.35bn Chelsea Sale Funds
Global Crisis: Attacks on Schools Skyrocket 166% – UN Sounds Alarm on Children’s Safety
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Things To Know About Threads, Zuckerberg’s Twitter-like App
