Niger: Ignore Social Media Posts Claiming Nigerian Fraudster 'Hushpuppi' Has Been Released From Us Prison

17 February 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Muktar Balogun

Ignore social media posts claiming Nigerian fraudster 'Hushpuppi' has been released from US prison

IN SHORT: Several Facebook posts claim that Nigerian fraudster Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, has been released from prison. But this is not true. He is still serving his sentence in the US and is set to be released in 2029.

Nigerian fraudster Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, has been released from a United States prison and is back in Nigeria.

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This is according to several posts doing the rounds on Facebook in February 2026.

One post reads: "BREAKING NEWS: Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, has been released from prison in the United States and deported to Nigeria following his 2022 sentencing. His early release was reportedly due to good behavior. Welcome back, Ramon Abbas. Please extend a welcome to Hushpuppi."

The posts feature photos of a man in handcuffs.

Abbas rose to fame as an Instagram influencer in Nigeria, known for showing off his lavish lifestyle. He was later charged with fraud and money laundering. In November 2022, a US court sentenced him to 11 years in jail.

The same claim appears here and here.

But has he been released from prison? We checked.

No truth to the claim

His arrest, trial and eventual sentencing were widely reported in the media. But Africa Check found no credible news reports on his release. If the claim were true, it would've also been reported.

A reverse image search showed that the photos circulating alongside the claim first appeared online in December 2025. They were posted on Instagram, with the user claiming that they showed an unnamed Nigerian man arrested at an airport in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. Abbas was already in jail when the photos started circulating.

A search of the US Federal Bureau of Prisons website shows that Abbas is still in prison and is scheduled for release in 2029.

This is not the first time we have debunked the claim that Abbas has been released. The same claim circulated in 2023. It was false then and is false now.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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