Just In: ICPC Arrest D’banj Over Fraûd

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has arrested singer Oladapo Oyebanji popularly known as D’banj.

He was arrested and detained on Tuesday after ICPC agents surrounded him and forced him to surrender at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

According to Premium Times, D’banj had evaded summons for weeks, claiming to be overseas for scheduled concerts each time he was summoned to appear for questioning on a fraud allegation.

He is accused of fraudulently diverting hundreds of millions of naira earmarked by the Nigerian government for the N-Power project, a youth empowerment program established by the Nigerian government in 2016 to address youth unemployment and social development.

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Investigators believe D’banj conspired with some corrupt government officials to put ghost beneficiaries on the scheme’s payroll. The stipend is then paid to those beneficiaries’ accounts, which are now allegedly linked to the pop star.

The ICPC moved to arrest the musician anywhere in Nigeria and abroad after he failed to appear for interrogation despite multiple invitations, forcing him to appear at the commission’s office on Tuesday. D’banj was detained after being subjected to a lengthy interrogation session upon his arrival. Officials denied his request for administrative bail, claiming that if released on bail, the musician could not be trusted to attend his trial.