Nigerian pop star Dbanj arrested, detained for embezzlement

Nigerian singer Oladapo Oyebanji, popularly known as D’banj, has been reportedly arrested and detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

According to the report, the 42-year-old was arrested and detained on Tuesday after ICPC operatives closed in on him.

According to Premium Times, D’banj was forced to surrender himself at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

The pop star is being accused of fraudulently diverting into his personal accounts hundreds of naira earmarked by the Nigerian government for the N-Power project, an empowerment programme set up by the Nigerian government in 2016 to address youth unemployment and increase social development.

According to reports, D’banj has been avoiding summons for weeks, claiming to be overseas for scheduled concerts each time he was invited to appear for interrogation over fraud allegations.

After he failed to show up for interrogation despite multiple invitations, the ICPC moved to arrest the singer anywhere in Nigeria and abroad, forcing him to show up at the commission’s office on Tuesday.