News
How Hushpuppi laundered U.S. Unemployment Benefits – FBI
Fresh evidence from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has revealed how Ramon Abbas, popularly called Hushpuppi, a Nigerian Instagram sensation, was involved in laundering unemployment benefits meant for citizens of the United States.
The scheme is one of the insurance programmes provided for workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own and meet certain other eligibility requirements. The joint state-federal programme provides cash benefits to these workers.
Hushpuppi, who was arrested in UAE over money laundering and cyber fraud allegations, is currently facing charges in the U.S.
He is accused of facilitating computer intrusion, Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud and money laundering and has been arraigned in an American court in California. His trial begins on October 13.
He pleaded not guilty to the four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracies, international money laundering and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.
Nevertheless, in the affidavit filed on September 14, with the United States District Court, Central District of California, Andrew John Innocenti, an FBI agent trained on foiling cybercrime indicted Mr Abbas in the outcome of his investigation.
Mr Innocenti said he discovered that Hushpuppi, using his email address, registered on a website whizzlog.com (“Whizzlog”) which is a marketplace for buying US Bank Logs and money laundering.
He said although, based on his training, sophisticated cybercriminals do not use their personal email address in registering on such websites but Hushpuppi did.
“ABBAS email address contained registration contamination from Whizz Log. It also contained numerous confirmations and receipts of bank logs he purchased. One of such messages read “Your order was successful. You have purchased (the “Financial Institution”) bank log with a balance of $9,839.44. Purchase Price: $955. The bank log details are in your account. Login to your Whizz Log account to view.”
“From the example above. I observed ABBAS buys a bank log with a balance of over S9,000 for as low as $900. This prompted me to visit the website whizzlog.com for more findings.”
After creating an account, the FBI agent discovered that Whizz Log sells only accounts which have been used to claim unemployment benefits. “Hackers who have claimed unemployment benefits of victims in the United States sell them off in bulk on Whizz Log.”
The prices of bank logs on Whizz Log range from $600 to S1,000 and balance in accounts sold ranges from $4,000 to as high as $12,000, he noted.
For easier payment, the bank logs are available for purchase instantly and payment is made using Bitcoin.
“Cyber criminals who purchase the bank logs can launder the money off through various means. The favorite means on Whizz Log is to buy Bitcoins with the balance in the bank log Whizz Log specifies if a bank log is “BTC Compatible” or not.
“Based on my training and experience, a bank account is “BTC Compatible” if you can buy Bitcoins from within the bank log. Some banks allow clients to directly purchase Bitcoins from their online bank account. Such banks are “BTC Compatible”. A buyer of a “BTC Compatible” bank log would login to the account, navigate to services provided by the bank and select to buy Bitcoins. He can use the whole balance in the account to buy Bitcoins. The Bitcoins will be sent to the criminal within minutes.”
While going through one of the bank accounts bought on the website, Mr Innocenti found that the account was recently opened.
“All the credits into the account were from the Department of Unemployment Assistance totaling $7,302.15,” he stated.
Since Mr Abbas had pleaded that he should be prosecuted with complaints rather than a grand jury indictment, this new evidence will be added to the previous ones.
If found guilty and convicted, the popular Instagram sensation could spend the next 20 years in prison.
Premium Times
News
Food for Living: The Secret Place (Pt. 2)
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Last week, I began an exposition on the above topic, only to discover that I have so much to share, and that prompted the decision to spread it into two parts. In part one, I simply laid the foundation and overview of how the secret place works.
In my home country, Nigeria, we have an adage in my native Igbo language that when the road is good, an individual goes through it again. What this really means is that when an article or food is good, it is normal for one to ask for more.
When I had the inspiration to write about the secret place, many thoughts flooded my mind, so I decided to write about different aspects of secret which are relatable. There is no doubt everyone has a secret, and this is responsible for the mystery or aura that makes other people surprised at how the person does certain things. It is therefore, foolhardy for anyone to divulge their secret.
If you are asked the secret that makes you successful, what will be your answer? Most rational minds will say, hard work, consistency, networking, value, continuous quest for knowledge, etc. All these are good points no doubt, but those may not really be the key factors to success. They are the general approach an insightful person can adopt. For instance, one might do all the aforementioned points and still fail, especially when the grace of God is not at work in the life of the person or where that’s the not calling of the person.
One might be wondering how that works? At creation, God gave everyone a talent/gift to serve the world, but some decided to give themselves another skill instead of honing what God has given to them. One might succeed in their chosen area, but they may lack fulfilment. But when one is working in their area of purpose, it hits different because they will not have to stress too much to make an impact. The universe will conspire to make the person successful.
Another secret to one’s success might be their access. Some people might have all they need but lack access to certain people and information. Another person’s secret might be giving, kindness and favour. Let’s speak a minute on this. Some people don’t know the role of giving, and how giving can open a closed door. It’s not just about giving, but the mindset involved in the giving.
Let me share some personal experiences I had a couple of years ago.
One day, one of my mentors breezed into New York for a meeting. He called me and I was elated because I have been looking forward to meeting him. Because another of my mentors have counseled me on the importance of giving mentors and resourceful people gifts, I bought a decent wine for him as a token of appreciation for him.
I could see the surprise on his face when I presented the wine and copies of my book to him. When I inquired why he was surprised, he said, “Henry, it’s not the amount of the gift that matters or the gift itself, rather, it’s the thought that went into it. That hit me differently.
To my amazement, he requested my account number. He was gracious enough to send me $1,000. In all honesty, my joy knew new bounds. It’s important to note that it is not the person who has money that gives, rather it is the person who has heart that gives. It’s sad to see young minds, who find it difficult to give to their mentors. They feel their mentors have more than them, but their ignorant mind fails to acknowledge that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
Another dimension of giving that has continually opened doors for me is a principle I learnt from one of my mentors, Dr. Yomi Garnett. According to him, “you will get what you want faster when you assist other people to achieve what they want”.
This principle is a game changer for me. It has opened my doors for me. One of such doors that stood out for me was meeting a great mind, Mr. Sulyman Sodeeq Abdulakeem, a rare breed. I met this young man on X, formerly Twitter, when he reached out to me informing me of how he has been following my weekly articles. He went further to produce a compilation of my quotes from my work.
That I was surprised is an understatement. Even if I wanted to say no to him when he requested I become his mentor, but for his dedication, I opened my valve to him. Today, he’s the Chief Operating Officer of my company. I saw value in him, and gave him some percentage of my company even when we are yet to make money in the company.
Now, here is where it gets interesting; what I did for him for a mere favor anyone can do without blinking an eye. But his young man has gone further to be a priceless blessing to me in ways and manners I cannot explain here. As a matter of fact, I feel I give him 10% and he gives me 90%. In all sincerity, he’s one of the best gifts and blessings God has given to me, and I will be eternally grateful to him (God) for the gift of Sulyman.
Imagine if I had not opened my doors to him, I wouldn’t be a beneficiary of his ingenuity.
Another person’s secret might be an unusual favour. Some people are favored where others fail. It’s instructive to note that different things work for different people.
As an author and creative writer, one of the secrets behind my strength and inspiration to write on a weekly basis in addition to publishing books with relative ease is God. I am not ashamed of the role the God-factor is playing in my life. This is because we live in a society where some people are shy or even ashamed of identifying with God, for reasons best known to them.
For me, I can boldly say, I’m super proud of what God is doing in my life. He’s my source and strength. One prayer I always say is, God, when you take me to the top and I become successful, any day I decide to take your glory and say it’s because of my hard work, intelligence and network, may your glory depart from me. I’m that intentional. Apart from the work I do, I have seen and experienced the hand of God upon my life, and the experience is summed up in one word; encounter.
Another secret of my success is my interaction. By God’s grace, I know how to relate with people. If I decide to meet someone, how I engage them can be fascinating. I think God gave me a discerning spirit, wisdom and the right diction to meet people where they are.
Back to the article; secrets work in different ways, and for different people. It’s just like a man who wants to talk to a lady. The ability for the man to know what works for the lady can be the game changer. According to Gary Chapman in his book, The Five Love Languages, it is important to know what works for anyone. For instance, while some ladies love language is words affirmation, other ladies love language might be gifts, services, time or physical touch.
In conclusion, life is a secret, to discover the secret, you will have to have the code and the code can be found in the secret. So, where is the secret? The secret lies in God. Seek God, and He will surely give you the needed secret to triumph.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Headlines
Court Sacks Reps Member for Defecting, Says ‘Political Prostitution Must Not Be Rewarded’
A Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Hon. Abubakar Gummi from the House of Representatives after he left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.
The lawmaker represented the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in Zamfara State.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the ruling, holding that Gummi’s defection breached the Constitution.
The court said the seat does not belong to any politician but to the political party that sponsored the election.
According to the judgment, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is barred from recognising Gummi “as a member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency.”
The judge also instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to “conduct a fresh election” for the vacant seat within 30 days.
The case was instituted by the PDP and its Zamfara chairman, who insisted that Gummi’s move to the APC had no legal justification. They argued that there was no division in the PDP to support his defection, as required by Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution.
Gummi, through his counsel, claimed he left the PDP due to internal crises which he said made it “impossible” to serve his constituents effectively. The judge, however, dismissed his arguments and granted all the reliefs requested by the plaintiffs.
Justice Egwuatu, in a firm comment, warned politicians against what he described as reckless party hopping.
“Political prostitution must not be rewarded,” he declared, adding that lawmakers must not transfer votes won on one party’s platform to another party.
The court also ordered Gummi to refund all salaries and allowances received from October 30, 2024, until the date of judgment. He is also barred from earning any further benefits as a member of the House.
Additionally, the judge imposed a N500,000 cost against the defendants in favour of the PDP.
News
The Heart Behind the Network: Why Nigerians Still Choose Glo
In a business landscape often dominated by profit motives, one brand continues to stand out as a truly Nigerian success story with people at its heart. Globacom, the nation’s indigenous telecommunications giant, has proven time and again that its mission goes beyond connectivity — it is about empowerment, accessibility, and shared progress.
From inception, Globacom has maintained a people-first philosophy that places affordability and value at the core of its operations. In a challenging economic environment, the company has deliberately designed products and services that respond to the needs of ordinary Nigerians. Whether it is data, voice, or value-added services, Dr Mike Adenuga, GCON’s vision, Glo ensures that quality communication remains within reach of every income level. Its flexible pricing structure enables students, business owners, and families alike to stay connected without financial strain.
“Every innovation we introduce is guided by one simple question,” explained a Globacom spokesperson. “How can we make life better, simpler, and more affordable for Nigerians? That remains our compass.”
Globacom’s network reach and technological strength are equally impressive. With coverage extending across all regions of Nigeria, the company has built one of the country’s most robust telecommunications infrastructures. The Glo-1 submarine cable, a major investment in high-capacity connectivity, reinforces its ability to deliver fast, reliable internet and voice services. This infrastructure not only drives economic activity but also bridges the digital divide between urban and rural areas, ensuring that no community is left behind in the digital era.
Beyond infrastructure, Glo’s operations have a tangible human and economic impact. Across the country its network supports both direct and indirect jobs – from field engineers and customer care teams to retail partners and distributors. Each connection made and job sustained are part of a long-term commitment to doing business responsibly, transparently, and in ways that support national growth.
Yet, Glo’s true distinction lies in its humanity; its understanding of the everyday Nigerian experience. Through customer appreciation initiatives and national promotions, the company continually rewards loyalty and spreads optimism. These initiatives, from festive giveaways to subscriber reward schemes, are more than marketing exercises; they reflect a genuine desire to give back. Millions of Nigerians have benefited from these efforts, reinforcing Glo’s reputation as a brand that cares.
The company’s deep respect for Nigerian culture and identity further strengthens its connection with the people. By sponsoring major traditional festivals such as Ofala, Ojude Oba, and Eyo, Globacom promotes unity, heritage, and continuity. These commitments illustrate a belief that progress should never come at the expense of cultural pride, and that technology can coexist harmoniously with tradition.
Customer experience remains at the heart of Glo’s aspirations. The company continues to invest in technology upgrades, improved data speeds, and responsive service delivery. “Our customers are not statistics; they are the reason we exist,” remarked another spokesperson. “Their loyalty inspires us to keep improving.” This philosophy drives every initiative, ensuring that subscribers enjoy consistent value, reliability, and care.
Globacom’s journey reflects the resilience and optimism of Nigeria itself – a nation defined by creativity, perseverance, and hope. Choosing Glo is therefore more than a commercial decision; it is a statement of belief in a brand that listens, understands, and evolves with its people.
For millions of Nigerians, Glo is not just a network; it is a symbol of connection, pride, and possibility. It is the network that gives more, cares more, and believes more – a true reflection of the Nigerian spirit.
That is why it should always be Glo – the people’s network, Nigeria’s pride, and the brand with a heart for its nation.






