The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested four officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in Abuja. The arrests took place on Tuesday at the NAHCON headquarters located at 991/992 Zakaria Maimalari Street, Central Business District, Abuja. The EFCC operatives arrived at 11 a.m. with a valid arrest warrant and left the premises with the spokesperson of the commission, Fatimah Usara, alongside three other officials.
Fatimah Usara and the other arrested officials are currently being interrogated at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. According to an anonymous staff member, the EFCC had launched its investigation into NAHCON following the arrest of the former Chairman, Jalal Arabi.
The investigation has centered on allegations of mismanagement of the N90 billion allocated for the 2024 Hajj subsidy. EFCC’s probe revealed that Arabi, the former chairman, fraudulently overpaid himself and others, including commissioners and the secretary. For example, Arabi received SR50,000, well above his entitled SR15,929, while other officials received significantly more than their due amounts.
The EFCC has already recovered SR314,098 from the overpaid officials. In addition to the EFCC’s investigation, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) also raided the NAHCON headquarters due to similar allegations regarding the Hajj fund mismanagement.
EFCC Spokesperson Dele Oyewale has promised further updates on the case soon.
