Nigerian musician Dbanj arrested for fraud

Nigerian singer, Oladapo Oyebanji, better known by his stage name, D’banj, has been arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission, (ICPC).

Several weeks after failing to show up for agency questionings regarding fraud allegations, the singer was arrested.

According to reports, Dbanj was apprehended on Tuesday after ICPC agents reportedly closed in on him and forced him to turn himself in at the organization’s Abuja headquarters.

The agency charged the pop star with defrauding the Nigerian government of hundreds of millions 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.

It was learned that D’banj conspired with some 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 musician was repeatedly invited to appear for questioning, but he did not, so the ICPC moved to have him arrested, forcing him to appear at the commission’s headquarters on Tuesday.

D’banj was detained after a protracted interrogation that began when he arrived.

Additionally, administrative bail was rejected because the agency did not trust the singer to appear at his trial if released on bail.

According to sources, the ICPC may ask the court for an extended remand order on Wednesday so that it can finish its investigation before bringing the musician to justice.