Police arrests popular Nigerian singer, D’banj

<p><strong>Popular Nigerian singer&comma; Oladapo Daniel Oyebanji&comma; more known by his stage name&comma; <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;Openlife&period;ng">D’banj<&sol;a> has been arrested by the <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;Openlife&period;ng">Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission&comma; &lpar;ICPC&rpar;<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>Premium Times<&sol;strong><&sol;em> reports that the musician was arrested and detained Tuesday after ICPC operatives closed in on him&comma; forcing him to surrender himself at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja&comma; Nigeria’s capital&comma; sources familiar with the matter said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Sources said D&&num;8217&semi;banj has been dodging the arrest for weeks&comma; claiming to be overseas for scheduled concerts each time he was invited to appear for interrogation over fraud allegation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He is being accused of fraudulently diverting hundreds of naira earmarked by the Nigerian government for N-Power project&comma; an empowerment programme set up by the Nigerian government in 2016 to address youth unemployment and increase social development&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;buhari-makes-new-appointment-2&sol;">After Naira Redesign&comma; Buhari Makes Crucial CBN Appointments <&sol;a><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Investigators allege that D’banj colluded with some compromised government officials to introduce ghost beneficiaries into the payroll of the scheme&period; The stipend paid to those beneficiaries are then paid to accounts that have now allegedly been linked to the pop star&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>After the musician failed to show up for interrogation despite multiple invitations&comma; the ICPC moved to arrest him anywhere in Nigeria and abroad&comma; forcing him to show up at the commission’s office on Tuesday&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>On arrival&comma; D’banj was subjected to a prolonged interrogation session after which he was detained&period; His plea for administrative bail was rejected by officials who said the musician could not be trusted to attend his trial if released on bail&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Sources said the ICPC might approach the court on Wednesday for an extended remand order to enable the agency complete its investigation before charging the musician to court&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;