Oladapo Oyebanjo, better known by his stage as D’banj, has finally spoken out about his supposed arrest by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC. He calls the detention “misconceived, malicious, and adverse to the justice system anywhere in the world.”
The anti-graft agency reportedly apprehended and arrested the pop artist on Tuesday for fraud-related offenses.
He was charged with conspiring with several dishonest government employees to embezzle hundreds of thousands of naira intended for the N-Power project, a program for empowerment launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 to combat youth unemployment and advance social development, in Nigeria.
The corrupt government officials and the singer of “Oliver Twist” are alleged to have added fictitious recipients to the payroll of the cash, and the money was later found in accounts connected to the artist.
His lawyer demands a thorough probe
Meanwhile, the musician encouraged the committee to conduct its investigation properly so that anyone trying to implicate him in such absurd acts will be brought to justice in an eleven-point statement made yesterday through his lawyer, Maryam Musa.
The following statement must be made in order to provide clarity and correct any misconceptions about Oladapo Oyebanjo, Dbanj, who is now being held by the ICPC due to unproven charges of fraud, according to the statement.
“It is instructive to the first state that the information regarding the arrest and custody of Oyebanjo is erroneous, spiteful, and detrimental to the legal system anywhere in the globe, and we would counsel the general public to be wise.
We acknowledge that the ICPC is looking into claims that N-Power monies were diverted, as the commission has publicly said, and we continue to have faith that the commission will handle this situation professionally.
For the record, D’banj has no such contractual or incidental relationship with any party or individual within or outside of government regarding the disbursement, operations, access, or control of any government fund through an agency or its subsidiaries.
“Dbanj and his management unequivocally and as a matter of policy do not engage in business dealings unless they are legal, adequately documented, and attainable.
Honoring ICPC invitation
“D’banj was formally invited by the ICPC to participate in the investigation a month ago, but he submitted letters to the Commission via his attorneys detailing his plans while in South Africa and promising to meet the Commission once he was back.
“On Monday, December 5, 2022, D’banj went to the Commission at around 2 p.m. as soon as he arrived in Abuja, freely and in accordance with the law. The Commission’s officers urged him to come back the next day because it was too late for an interview on that particular Monday.
“D’banj voluntarily offered himself to the Commission to conduct their inquiry and probe the following day, Tuesday, December 6, 2022, as previously arranged.
“D’banj has commanded the Commission to conduct its inquiry completely to guarantee that people attempting to implicate him in such absurd acts must be brought to justice.
It is incomprehensible that D’banj, whose entire career serves as an example of tenacity, dedication, and integrity, would risk the reputation he has worked so hard to build over the years by participating in such charges, which he now has to endure stoically while clearing his name.
While describing the media trial as “unsurprising but nonetheless destructive to the route for the truth which D’banj has freely placed himself on by honoring the ICPC’s summons,” D’banj’s attorney asked the general public to resist the impulse to buy into it.
The statement said, “We maintain the hope that the ICPC’s thoroughness will in no way absolve D’banj of all and any allegations leveled against him, and it is for this reason that we implore the general public to stay vigilant against malicious traducers who may be trying to tarnish his reputation for their own purposes.
Why we arrested the pop star — ICPC
Yesterday, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, revealed that D’banj had been detained and had been arrested as part of an investigation into fraud connected to the N-Power Program.
The agency said in a statement published on its Instagram page, @icpcnigeria, that in accordance with its mandate, the Commission had received numerous petitions regarding the diversion of N-Power funds totaling billions of naira after the Federal Government approved and released such funds to the beneficiaries.
“Many N-Power beneficiaries had complained about not receiving their monthly payments, despite the Government having made the payment.
“In the past few months, the ICPC has invited about 10 people in relation to the N-Power fraud; following their detention, these people were given administrative bail. Mr. Oladipo Daniel Oyebanjo disregarded several requests to come before an investigative team and did not accept any of them.
Celebrities react
However, other Nigerians, especially famous people who used their various social media platforms to discuss the arrest, have referred to the claim as being a part of the system.
Afro-beat musician Seun Kuti led the charge, declaring, “The Nigerian entertainment industry has become a hoax for money laundering?
“We have long maintained that they could not possibly be acting as politicians without the active complicity of the top blacks! We now understand that the Nigerian entertainment sector is a money-laundering fraud, the man stated.
Similarly, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, popularly known as Omosexy, a Nollywood actress, said that Nigerians were the country’s problem. “We no good,” she added.
We reported the case, and others to ICPC — Humanitarian Affairs Ministry
Yesterday, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development announced that the ICPC had arrested the well-known Nigerian artist at their request after finding financial irregularities in the plan.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Contrary to claims made in some quarters, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo told reporters in Abuja that D’banj was not the N-Power program’s brand ambassador.
He declared: “Since the program’s start, the Ministry has employed a comprehensive methodology for selecting qualified recipients from around the nation. Beneficiaries of the program are recruited, trained, and sent to pre-selected Places of Primary Assignment in collaboration with our Service Provider.
“The problem was immediately brought to ICPC for a thorough investigation when it came to our attention that some employees of the Payment Service Provider, PSP, involved in the payment operations of beneficiaries, may have engaged in unscrupulous behavior. As a result, as part of the continuing investigations, certain people have, as far as we are aware, been invited for questioning.
In the meanwhile, we have thoroughly reinforced our systems to get rid of all anomalies and stop similar incidents from happening again. In order to facilitate the investigation’s successful conclusion, we are working closely with ICPC.
