Several top officials from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) have been questioned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations concerning the mismanagement of a substantial N90 billion subsidy intended for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The subsidy was provided by the Federal Government to reduce the financial burden on Nigerian pilgrims.
The ICPC detained the officials at their offices after they reportedly failed to respond to previous invitations for questioning. According to a source within the ICPC, who spoke anonymously due to not being authorized to brief the media, the officials were brought in on Wednesday and interrogated for several hours about the disbursement and use of the N90 billion subsidy.
The source told PUNCH, “On Wednesday, some of our men were at the Hajj commission’s office to bring some officials to our office. We invited these officials but they didn’t show up. They were interrogated upon their arrival at the commission’s office.” The investigation reportedly stems from several petitions received by the ICPC, alleging the mishandling of funds meant to support Nigerian pilgrims.
When reached for comment, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare confirmed the presence of the officials at the agency’s office but clarified that they had been released after meeting their bail conditions. Bakare emphasized that the ongoing investigation does not include NAHCON Chairman Jalal Arabi, refuting claims that the commission’s office was shut down.
“We didn’t shut down the commission as being speculated. We only went there for officials who failed to honor our invitation,” Bakare clarified.
This investigation follows an earlier inquiry by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had interrogated NAHCON Chairman Jalal Arabi on Tuesday regarding similar allegations. These inquiries were triggered by concerns raised by Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago, leading the National Assembly to initiate a probe into the alleged misuse of the N90 billion subsidy.
Despite these allegations, Jalal Arabi, during a post-Hajj press conference in Abuja on July 29, defended the commission’s handling of the funds, asserting that they were used transparently. Arabi explained that each pilgrim received a subsidy of N1,637,369.87 from the N90 billion, except for those under the Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS), who received more significant support. He also mentioned that pilgrims not on the HSS were required to pay an additional N1,918,094.87, as the N90 billion was insufficient to cover all costs.
