The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has uncovered a massive fraud allegedly perpetrated by top officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). The fraud involves the mismanagement of millions of dollars allocated for Hajj operations.
The EFCC’s findings, detailed in an investigation report obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, reveal that the investigation began in 2022 after an EFCC operative raised concerns about irregularities during their time serving on the NAHCON Central Security Committee. The intelligence report highlighted several issues, including payments for a non-existent study tour and the alleged misallocation of consultancy fees.
In addition to the intelligence report from the EFCC operative, the commission also received multiple petitions from concerned NAHCON staff members. These petitions, totaling seven, accused the NAHCON chairman, Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kotangora, of financial mismanagement. The EFCC also named Haruna Magaji as a suspect in the case, though his connection to NAHCON remains unclear.
The investigation revealed a conspiracy, involving the mismanagement of pilgrims’ funds allocated for the 2022 Hajj operation. One of the major findings was the payment of estacodes to staff members for a study tour to Indonesia that never took place. The EFCC has since recovered these funds but did not disclose the specific amount.
The probe also uncovered that NAHCON had paid a consultancy firm, Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd, for services related to the recovery of SAR 20.6 million from the Saudi Arabian government. The refund, made in December 2023, was for services that were either poorly provided or not rendered at all to Nigerian pilgrims and tour operators. However, further investigation revealed that the contract with Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd was awarded after the Saudi government had already refunded the amount.
Documents related to the consultancy contract were fraudulently backdated to justify payments made in April 2024. The investigation showed that Mr. Arabi admitted that the firm had not rendered the service, but he has yet to publicly comment on the matter.
The EFCC’s investigation also discovered that during a meeting on January 25, 2024, the payment for the consultancy service was not discussed, despite being included in the minutes as an item under “Any Other Business.” It was found that this action was taken to finalize fraudulent documentation and facilitate the theft of funds.
In a positive turn, the EFCC confirmed that Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd had refunded SAR 1.78 million to NAHCON’s account. Furthermore, around SAR 1 million, roughly N430.9 million, was recovered from the Eastern Gulf Company.