In a shocking development, the Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, have been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They face accusations of egregious mismanagement of the N90bn subsidy allocated for the 2024 Hajj. Documents seen by The PUNCH reveal that the EFCC has recovered a total of SR314,098 from the implicated officials.
The EFCC’s investigation uncovered that Arabi and his associates fraudulently inflated their operational costs. Arabi, entitled to SR15,929, awarded himself SR50,000, while three commissioners who should have received SR15,929 each were given SR40,000 each. The Secretary received SR30,000 instead of the SR14,336 to which he was entitled, and Directors/Chief of Staff received SR30,000 instead of SR2,550.
The probe revealed that SR8,614,175.27 withdrawn from the N90bn subsidy remains unaccounted for. Additional scrutiny since 2022 exposed fraudulent payments and questionable Estacodes claimed for non-existent study tours. Payments were made to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd for consultancy services that were not provided, with the Executive Chairman’s approval fraudulently backdated to January 23, 2024, to cover up the theft. The total recovery from Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd amounted to SR1,780,019.99, with additional recovery of SR1,026,000 from Eastern Gulf Company in Saudi Arabia.
Documents also revealed that the total sum of SR22,815,367.74 was withdrawn as cash during the 2024 Hajj operation, with an expected payment of SR14,905,910.47 for services and allowances, leaving SR8,614,175.27 still unaccounted for by NAHCON.
The EFCC’s relentless investigation into NAHCON’s operations is ongoing, with the aim of uncovering the full extent of corruption and recovering all misappropriated funds. The nation awaits further revelations and actions as justice is sought for the funds stolen from the Hajj subsidy.
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