Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
All seems not to be well with a Nigerian pop star, Mr Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’Banj, as there are reports that he is being held in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
In a report by Premium Times, which has not been independently verified by Business Post, it was alleged that the entertainer was detained for fraud involving the N-Power project.
The government came up with this scheme in 2016, just a year after President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, to provide short-term jobs for youths in the country, especially graduates.
In the report, D’Banj was brought into the programme to leverage his popularity among young Nigerians, but he allegedly connived with some government officials to divert funds meant for the successful implementation of the initiative.
According to the report, he was invited by the agency to explain how funds meant for the scheme found their way into bank accounts linked to him, but he reportedly ignored it, giving different excuses.
However, when it seemed it was the end of the road for him, the singer reportedly surrendered himself at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja on Tuesday, and he has not been released despite making efforts to obtain an administrative bail.
Citing sources familiar with the arrest of D’Banj, the reputable platform disclosed that the ICPC is seeking a court order to keep the Kokomaster for a long period, pending when the investigation would be concluded and possibly charged to court for prosecution.
It was alleged that “D’Banj colluded with some compromised government officials to introduce ghost beneficiaries into the payroll of the scheme.”
