Naija artist D’Banj arrested and detained for fraud [Details]

Nigerian artist Oladapo Olabanji aka D’banj has been arrested and detained for fraudulently diverting money.

According to reports, he was forced to turn himself in at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday when ICPC agents closed in on him.

The musician reportedly evaded summonses for weeks by saying he was abroad for scheduled concerts each time he was asked to show up for interrogation about fraud allegations.

The ICPC attempted to arrest the pop artist anywhere in Nigeria and abroad after he repeatedly declined invitations to appear for questioning. This forced him to appear at the commission’s office on December 6th.

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

Investigators contend that D’banj conspired with some tainted government representatives to add fictitious beneficiaries to the scheme’s payroll. The stipend is subsequently disbursed to those beneficiaries into accounts that are now purportedly connected to him.

D’banj was 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.

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