News
How Nigerian Instagrammers were caught ‘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 cyber-crimes. 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 tacky, 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.”
News
He is a very dangerous man! Sonko’s daughter accuses senator of attempting to kill her

Lamu Senator Anwar Loitiptip and Saumu Mbuvi, daughter of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, have announced their separation following wrangles and disagreement.
The reports were fuelled by photos and videos of Senator Loitiptip hanging out with a female friend.
Saumu, on Instagram, announced that the two have separated, claiming that she has undergone domestic violence under Loitiptip.
“These are the things he did to me,” wrote Saumu, in one of her photos showing a swollen face and bruised lips.
“He almost killed me. I will forever fight for women to stand for their rights. Never allow a man to be violent to you.”
She also claimed that the senator had neglected their child, leaving Saumu as the primary caregiver.
Loitiptip told Kenyans.co.ke that Saumu shared her father’s traits and was suffering from bipolar disorder, threatening to expose her past to prove his claim.
The two have been dating for months and at one point planned to get married. However, Sonko’s daughter clarified that the two had split before officiating their union.
“Wedding date confirmed,” she captioned a picture of herself and the senator in June 2020.
Her previous relationship with businessman cum politician Ben Gatu also ended after she accused him of being violent.
News
US raises alarm over Covid-19 cases surge in Tanzania

The US government has revealed that there are significant cases of Covid-19 in Tanzania.
This is just a week after it advised its citizens against travelling to the East African country.
“The US Embassy is aware of a significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases since January 2021,” the Embassy said.
In a Health alert, the US said the practice of Covid-19 mitigation and prevention measures remains limited.
The Tanzanian government has not released aggregate numbers on Covid-19 cases or deaths since April 2020.
“Healthcare facilities in Tanzania can become quickly overwhelmed in a healthcare crisis. Limited hospital capacity throughout Tanzania could result in life-threatening delays for emergency medical care,” US said.
The Department of State’s travel advisory level for Tanzania is Level 3.
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says that travellers should avoid all travel to Tanzania.
The Embassy continues to recommend that all individuals take caution in day-to-day activities.
President John Magufuli assured the 58 million inhabitants that they need not worry about observing Covid-19 preventative measures.
News
Siwachii wezi! Uhuru vows not to leave the country to thieves in 2022

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday made a surprising stop to lecture Nairobi residents after finishing his engagement at the National Cargo Deconsolidation Centre (NCDC-Nairobi).
The Head of State said he was angry at Nairobians for being against the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill stating that the report has given Nairobi more constituencies.
“If we have a BBI that says the people of Nairobi will have more constituencies and if it’s bursaries a child in Mathare who today receives Ksh500, how will that child study up to university level,” President Kenyatta said.
“But there is another child who gets Ksh100,000 in Busury per year is that right?… BBI is not for helping Raila or Uhuru it is for you,” he continued.
Uhuru went on to disclose that he has no plans to rule after his term is over and his interest is in finishing the job that Kenyans elected him to do.
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