D’Banj reportedly arrested by ICPC

Oladapo Oyebanji, better known by his stage name D’banj, has been reportedly detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The musician was said to have been detained on Tuesday when ICPC agents surrounded him and forced him to present himself at the organization’s headquarters in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, according to a report published by PREMIUM TIMES.Read more

Insiders claimed that D’banj had evaded summons for weeks by stating that he was abroad for scheduled concerts each time he was asked to show up for an interview over a fraud case.

READ ALSO:ALLEGED R*PE: No evidence against D’banj –Police

The pop musician, a famous and wealthy Nigerian, is charged with defrauding the Nigerian government out of hundreds of naira intended for the N-Power project, an empowerment initiative launched by the Nigerian government in 2016 to combat youth unemployment and advance social development.

Investigators claim that D’banj conspired with some tainted government representatives to add fictitious beneficiaries to the scheme’s payroll. Then, the recipients get payments into accounts that are now purportedly connected to the pop star.

The ICPC sought to arrest the artist anywhere in Nigeria and abroad after he repeatedly declined invitations to appear for questioning; as a result, he was forced to appear at the commission’s office on Tuesday.

D’banj was said to have been detained after a protracted interrogation that began when he arrived. Officials rejected his request for administrative bail because they believed the singer could not be trusted to appear at his trial if released on bond.

The ICPC may ask the court for an extended remand order on Wednesday so that it may finish its investigation before bringing the singer to justice.

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