The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained the Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, in connection with the alleged mismanagement of the ₦90 billion 2024 Hajj subsidy.
A document obtained on Wednesday revealed that the EFCC recovered a total of SR314,098 from Arabi and other senior officials of the commission. The anti-graft agency alleged that Arabi fraudulently overpaid himself and others from the operational cost allotted to the 2024 Hajj subsidy.
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According to the document, the approved 2024 Hajj operational costs for the Chairman/CEO, commissioners, secretary, and directors/chief of staff were set at $4,250, $12,750, $3,825, and $15,300, respectively. However, the EFCC claims that the NAHCON chairman received SR50,000 instead of his entitled SR15,929, while three commissioners received SR40,000 each, surpassing their SR15,929 entitlement. The secretary was allegedly overpaid with SR30,000 instead of SR14,336, and the directors/chief of staff received SR30,000 instead of SR2,550.
The EFCC first questioned Arabi on July 29, releasing him on bail after hours of interrogation. However, he was taken in again on Wednesday for further questioning, along with the commission’s secretary. An EFCC source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed their detention, stating that they were being interrogated about the ₦90 billion subsidy and other allegations.
Another document exclusively obtained revealed that a cash withdrawal of SR8,614,175.27 from the ₦90 billion released by the Federal Government to NAHCON remains unaccounted for. The document detailed the conversion of ₦88,235,294,063.72 into USD 62,307,164.48 and then into SR233,527,252.47, which was transferred into NAHCON’s British SAAB account in Saudi Arabia. The opening balance for the 2024 Hajj activities was SR19,813,810.89, with a closing balance of SR78,985,266.03, inclusive of a refund from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Saudi Arabia.
The investigation also uncovered that SR22,815,367.74 was withdrawn in cash from the British SAAB account by Abubakar Muhammed Lamin during the 2024 Hajj operations, with SR8,614,175.27 yet to be accounted for.
In addition, the investigation into the commission’s activities since 2022 has led to the recovery of funds paid as estacodes to staff who did not undertake planned study tours and payments made to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd for services that were never rendered.
The document highlighted that all supporting documents for the consultancy services, including the approval by the Executive Chairman, were backdated to January 23, 2024, to facilitate the payment of SAR780,019.59 to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd on April 14, 2024. Jalal Arabi reportedly confessed that the consultant did not provide any services.
Further investigation revealed that the commission’s secretary included an approval for the payment to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd in the minutes of an Expanded Transitional Exco meeting held on January 25, 2024, under “Any Other Business” to perfect the documentation and divert the funds. The SR1,026,000.00, equivalent to about ₦430,920,000, was recovered from Eastern Gulf Company in Saudi Arabia.
