Nigerian media personality, Daddy Freeze, real name Ifedayo Olarinde, has again spoken about his relationship with Nigerian socialite Hushpuppi, who was convicted of internet fraud in the U.S.
Recall that Hushpuppi was arrested by the FBI in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2020 for over $1.1 million in transnational cyber fraud.
Prior to Hushpuppi’s arrest and conviction, Daddy Freeze visited the socialite’s Palazzo Versace home in Dubai in 2019 and shared videos of their time together, praising his host.
However, following Hushpuppi’s arrest, Nigerians strongly criticized Daddy Freeze for associating with a criminal.
Although the media personality has defended himself on this issue in the past, he has once again launched a fresh defence, saying he never received money from Hushpuppi.
Daddy Freeze said, “Hushpuppi has never given me money before… never given me anything, not $1 ever!” adding that “But Hushpuppi gave me friendship when there was nobody who wanted to be my friend because they believed I was the devil.”
The media personality went further to recount the circumstances that led to him meeting Hushpuppi and why he couldn’t turn his back on him.
He said, “First time I met Hushpuppi…I was picked to go to Dubai with some influencers and I’d already started the movement then (#FreeTheSheepple) and the influencers didn’t particularly like me.
“And that was the time that my church that I’d attended for 10-years rejected me; everybody rejected me. And then out of the blues, Hushpuppi sends me a DM ‘where are you, come over.’
“So we hung out with some of our friends, we gisted, we took pictures, put on his snapchat. So why would I not be friends with someone who was my friend, how am I going to be angry with him?”
Additionally, Daddy Freeze admitted that “I might have guessed that the money was not legit. But Davido sang something ‘dey for who dey for you.’”
Note that while Daddy Freeze defended himself on the Hushpuppi in 2020, he said he never knew Hushpuppi to be a criminal but a social media influencer, adding that if he knew, he wouldn’t have hung out with him.
The media personally noted that he does not support fraud in any way, and he would not have shot a video with Hushpuppi if he had a case in court.
“I didn’t know him to be a (alleged) criminal, if I did I wouldn’t hang out with him. And unless someone is proven guilty, I do not discriminate against them because the one who taught me Christianity, the one who I follow, Christ did not discriminate against anyone,” he said.
