Nigerian singer D’banj, also known as Dapo Oyebanjo, has been absolved of rape and N-Power fraud accusations by both the Nigeria Police Force and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Exclusive documents obtained by our correspondent reveal that in separate clearance reports, the police and the anti-graft agency concluded their investigations, exonerating the artist from the allegations.
According to an affidavit presented by Toheeb Lawal of the Abuja-based law firm Law Corridor, before the District Court of Abuja, the reports from the police investigation and ICPC clearance were marked as exhibits A and B. The legal practitioner asserted that both entities cleared D’banj of the rape and fraud accusations.
In 2020, D’banj faced allegations of rape, prompting an investigation ordered by the Inspector General of Police. A report dated November 14, 2023, signed by ACP YY Abubakar of the Special Enquiry Bureau at the Force Criminal Investigations Department stated that the investigation found no evidence to support the claim. The complainant later voluntarily withdrew the petition.
Additionally, in 2022, the ICPC accused D’banj of diverting funds related to the N-Power Programme. However, after investigating the matter, the ICPC clarified that there was no prima facie case of fraud against him. The commission stated that D’banj was not under investigation for any fraud-related offense.
D’banj’s lawyer, in a deposition filed before the Chief District Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, emphasized that the singer was never a government official, had no access to government funds, and supported the N-Power campaign for free, without receiving any payment from anyone or the government.
