A leading Nigerian policeman has denied any connection with the fraud and money laundering charges that Nigerian influencer Hushpuppi has pleaded guilty to in a US court.

The policeman, Abba Kyari, was listed in a statement from the US Attorney’s Office as one of those who worked with Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas.

In one scheme, Hushpuppi attempted to steal more than $1.1m (£785m) from someone who wanted to fund a new children’s school in Qatar, the documents said.

In the US Attorney’s Office statement, Mr Kyari is accused of agreeing to detain one of Hushpuppi’s co-conspirators after they had fallen out.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Mr Kyari said that he had responded to a distress call from Hushpuppi, who had said this family was in danger, and had briefly detained the man, but no money changed hands.

“Our hands are clean… We are used to such types of people and false newsmakers and distributors,” he concluded.