Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, (NAHCON), Jalal Arabi, as well as the Commission’s Secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, are currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged mismanagement of the N90bn 2024 Hajj subsidy.
In a document issued on Wednesday, the anti-graft agency said, “A total of Saudi Riyals (SR)314,098 was recovered” from the NAHCON chairman and other ranking officials.
The EFCC said its investigation revealed that from the N90bn Hajj subsidy, Arabi, fraudulently overpaid himself and his accomplices the necessary operational cost.
Also according to the document, the approved 2024 Hajj operational cost for the Chairman/CEO, Commissioners, Secretary and Directors/Chief of Staff in the 2024 Budget are stipulated as $4,250, $12,750, $3,825 and $15,300, respectively.
The EFCC alleged that: “The chairman fraudulently overpaid himself, the commissioners, secretary and directors for the 2024 hajj operational cost. It was gathered that the anti-graft agency had first grilled Arabi for hours on July 29 and released him on bail.
Recall that last week Wednesday, some top officials of the Commission were arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged mismanagement or diversion of the N90bn subsidy. A source in the EFCC was reported to have said that the NAHCON Chairman was taken in again on Wednesday for questioning and was detained.
Meanwhile, an investigation into the Commission’s activities since 2022 resulted in the recovery of estacodes paid to staff who did not undertake study tours and payments made to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd for services that were not rendered.
Also, the sum of SR1,026, 000.00, equivalent to about N430,920,000 million, was also recovered from one Eastern Gulf Company Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
