Nigeria, April 1 -- A United States District Court in California has fixed July 27 as new date for the trial of the Nigerian Instagram celebrity facing fraud charges, Ramon Abass, also addressed as Hushpuppi.

This overruled a previous order from the court that fixed May 4 for the trial.

The recent order given by Judge Otis Wright followed an application for extension sought by Mr Abass' defence counsel, Louis Shapiro.

Mr Shapiro premised the request on the fact that he needed additional time to prepare for trial as he was recently hired by the defendant.

"On February 25, 2021, defendant's current counsel, Louis J. Shapiro, substituted in as counsel of record. Defence counsel represents that he requires additional time to prepare this ...