*D' bang's lawyer demands professionalism in the probe
Nigeria's Pop music star, Oladapo Oyebanjo, popularly called D’banj, has
described the report of his arrest and detention by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC,
as “misconceived, mischievous, and prejudicial to the justice system anywhere in the world.”
In a statement released on Wednesday by his lawyer, Maryam Musa, the singer however expressed the hope that the ICPC would be professional and thorough in its investigations to ensure that "characters attempting to bring him into such ridiculous activities must be brought to book."
According to the statement: “The media is awash with reports of Oladapo Oyebanjo, Dbanj, in ICPC custody, about unestablished allegations of fraud for which it has become crucial to make the following statement, for clarity and to set public records straight.
D'bang, Image: Daily Post
“It is instructive to state foremost that the report concerning the arrest and detention of Oyebanjo is misconceived, malicious, and prejudicial to the justice system anywhere in the world, and we would advise that the general public be well guided.
“We acknowledge the fact that the ICPC is currently investigating allegations of diversion of N-Power funds, as already stated by the commission and we continue to expect that the commission will stay the course of professionalism in this matter.
“For the record, D’banj has no such contractual or incidental relationship whatsoever with any group or persons within or outside government, about the disbursement, operations, access, or control of the operation of any government fund through an agency or its subsidiaries.
“Emphatically and as a matter of policy, D'banj and his management do not engage in business dealings unless they are legitimate, properly documented, and obtainable in law."
ICPC invitation
“D’banj was officially invited by the ICPC in respect of the investigation a month ago. However, he sent letters through his Attorneys to the Commission in respect of his schedule in South Africa and promised to visit the Commission when he returned.
“On Monday, the 5th of December, 2022, D’banj freely and of his law-abiding accord went to the Commission at about 2 pm immediately after he arrived in Abuja. The Officers of the Commission advised that he returned the following day as it was late for an interview on the said Monday.
Image:Twitter
“D’banj returned to the Commission the following day Tuesday the 6th of December, 2022 as earlier agreed, and voluntarily submitted himself to the Commission to make their inquiry and investigation.
“D’banj has enjoined the Commission to carry out its investigation thoroughly to ensure that characters attempting to bring him into such ridiculous activities must be brought to book.
“It is inconceivable that D’banj whose very career is a reference point for hard work, diligence and honesty would lend his reputation built steadfastly over the years to acts of such accusations which he must now stoically suffer through while clearing his name.”
D’banj’s lawyer advised the public to guard against the urge to accept the media trial, which she described as “ unsurprising but regardless harmful to the course for the truth which D’banj has willingly set himself on by honoring the ICPC’s summons.”
“We retain the hope that the thoroughness of the ICPC will in no time exonerate D’banj of all and every allegation leveled against his person and it is for this reason that we implore the general public to stay guarded against malicious traducers who may be attempting to soil his image for their purposes,” the statement said.
We referred the matter to ICPC
—Humanitarian Affairs Ministry
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, on Wednesday, disclosed that the investigation that led to the arrest of D'bang by the ICPC was requested by the Ministry following its discovery of signs of financial irregularities in the scheme.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo said that the insinuations in some quarters that D’banj was the brand ambassador of the N-Power program are not correct.
He said: “The Ministry has deployed a well-rounded mechanism for the selection of eligible beneficiaries from across the country and this has been in place since the inception of the program. Working with our Service Provider, program beneficiaries are onboarded, trained, and deployed to pre-selected Places of Primary Assignment.
“When it came to our notice that there may have been sharp practices by some personnel of the Payment Service Provider, PSP, involved in the payment processes of beneficiaries, the matter was immediately referred to ICPC for a thorough investigation. We are aware that certain persons have consequently been invited for interrogation as part of the ongoing investigations.
“In the meantime, we have carried out thorough reinforcement of our systems to eliminate all anomalies and prevent similar occurrences in the future. To this end we are in close collaboration with ICPC to support the successful determination of the investigation,” Sani-Gwarzo stated.
D'bang, Image:Vanguard
Celebrities react
Meanwhile, some Nigerians including celebrities have reacted to the development on various social media platforms, describing the allegation as common with the system.
Afro-beat singer Seun Kuti, in his reaction, said “the Nigerian entertainment industry has become a scam for money laundering?”
“We have always said there is no way they are doing anything as politicians without the active connivance of the leading blacks! Today, we now know that the Nigerian entertainment industry is a scam for money laundering”, he said.
Similarly, Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde popularly known as Omosexy believes that Nigerian citizens’ are the problem of the country.” We no good,” she added.
D'banj who was arrested and detained on Tuesday is accused of conniving with some corrupt government officials to divert funds meant for the government's youth empowerment and social development program, N-Power, introduced in 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Investigators claim that D'banj, alongside the corrupt government officials, added ghost beneficiaries to the N- Power payroll, and the salaries paid to the ghost beneficiaries were later traced to accounts linked to the singer.
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