Video: Hushpuppi was my friend — Davido

Abdullateef Fowewe

Afrobeats star David Adeleke, also known as Davido, has addressed his association with convicted internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, better recognised as Hushpuppi, stating that he was unaware of Hushpuppi’s criminal activities at the time.

Video link: Hushpuppi was my friend — Davido

In a recent interview, Davido expressed sympathy for Hushpuppi, who is currently incarcerated in the United States, and expressed hope for his eventual release in the near future.

While making it clear that he does not condone fraud, Davido acknowledged the harsh economic circumstances in Nigeria, which he believes may lead some individuals to resort to illegal activities for survival.

He emphasised that his comments stemmed from loyalty to a friend and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of criminal conduct.

He said, “Hushpuppi is coming out soon. He lived life. To me, it is not worth it to be locked up. But let me not make excuses for them (fraudsters). Some people are happy to ball for five years and that is it.

“In Nigeria, there is a kind of hardship you would face and you will be like, you know what? Let me ball for two years then I am good.

“People are like that. My prayers go out to him. He was my friend. I just see him around, I never really knew what he was doing. But he lived a good life.”