Oladapo Oyebanji, better known by his stage name D’banj, has been arrested by the Independent Commission for Corrupt Practices and Related Crimes (ICPC).
According to an exclusive report by PREMIUM TIMES, D’banj has been arrested for fraudulently diverting funds from N-Power.
The contractor was arrested and detained on Tuesday when ICPC agents surrounded him and forced him to surrender at the organization’s headquarters in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke to the news outlet.
The article said a source claimed that D’banj had been dodging calls for weeks claiming he was abroad due to scheduled concerts whenever he was called for questioning about the fraud allegations.
The pop musician, a famous and wealthy Nigerian, has been accused of defrauding the Nigerian government out of hundreds of Nairas earmarked for the N-Power project, an empowerment initiative launched by the Nigerian government in 2016 to combat youth unemployment and promote social development. .
Investigators allege that D’banj worked with some corrupt government agents to add phantom users to the scheme’s payroll. These users receive their scholarships, which are then transferred to accounts now supposedly linked to the superstar.
CIPC attempted to arrest the artist anywhere in Nigeria and abroad after he repeatedly refused to appear for questioning; as a result, he was forced to report to the commission’s office on Tuesday.
Upon arrival, D’banj underwent lengthy interrogation before being detained. His administrative bail request was rejected by authorities, who said they could not believe the singer would appear in court if released on bail.
According to a Premium Times source, CIPC could ask the court for an order to extend the detention on Wednesday so that it can complete its investigation before bringing the singer to justice.
However, the CIPC or the D banj team have not yet commented on the matter.
According to his Wikipedia page, 42-year-old D’banj, also known as Kokomaster, was born in Zaria, Kaduna State, northwestern Nigeria, on June 9, 1980, the son of an army officer supervising an artillery regiment. and business women from Shagamu, Ogun State. Southwestern Nigeria.
D’banj has been a part of the successful Nigerian music industry since 2004 as a songwriter, performer, rapper and television personality. He performs R&B, pop, hip-hop, and Afrobeat music.
His debut single “Tongolo” was released in 2005, the same year that he and Don Jazzy returned to Lagos from the UK. D’Banja’s mother financed the music video. It was an instant hit and received high praise from critics across the country. His debut award was for the Power Fist energy drink.
Categories: Biography
Source: newstars.edu.vn