D’banj, Nigeria’s Afrobeat star has been arrested and detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), over allegation of diversion of funds earmarked for the N-Power project, Premium Times reported on Wednesday.
N-power is part of the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) set up by the Muhammadu Buhari administration to tackle unemployment and increase social development.
According to the report, D’banj had dodged ICPC summons for weeks and claimed he had foreign engagements before his arrest on Tuesday.
“The musician was arrested and detained Tuesday after ICPC operatives closed in on him, forcing him to surrender himself at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, sources familiar with the matter said. D’banj, insiders said, had dodged summons for weeks, claiming to be overseas for scheduled concerts each time he was invited to appear for interrogation over fraud allegation.
“The pop star, a wealthy Nigerian celebrity, is accused of fraudulently diverting hundreds of millions of naira earmarked by the Nigerian government for N-Power project, an empowerment programme set up by the Nigerian government in 2016 to address youth unemployment and increase social development.
“Investigators allege that D’banj colluded with some compromised government officials to introduce ghost beneficiaries into the payroll of the scheme. The stipend paid to those beneficiaries are then paid to accounts that have now allegedly been linked to the pop star.
Investogist gathered that D’banj was subjected to a prolonged interrogation and was detained after a plea for administrative bail was rejected by officials of the ICPC who said that the star could not be trusted to attend his trial.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.