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 over alleged mismanagement of N90bn 2024 Hajj subsidy.
PUNCH reports that about 314,098 Saudi riyal were recovered from them.
According to documents which the newspaper cited, the EFCC alleges that Arabi overpaid himself and others the operational cost from the subsidy.
The said document stipulated the approved 2024 Hajj operational cost for the chairman/CEO, commissioners, secretary and directors/chief of staff in the 2024 budget as $4,250, $12,750, $3,825 and $15,300, respectively.
However, the anti-graft agency said, “The chairman was entitled to SR15,929 but he got SR50,000; three commissioners who were meant to get SR 15,929 each received SR 40,000 each. The secretary got SR 30,000 instead of SR14,336. Directors/Chief of Staff received SR 30,000 instead of the SR2,550 they were entitled to. The total of SR314,098 were recovered from all of them.”
Arabi was questioned on July 29 and released him on bail.
On August 7, some top officials of the Hajj commission were arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for the same alleged offence.
