Top officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) have been grilled by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of mismanagement or diversion of the N90 billion released by the Federal Government to subsidise the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Sources within the ICPC confirmed that the officials were apprehended in their offices after failing to respond to multiple invitations from the anti-graft agency.
They were subsequently taken to the ICPC headquarters, where they were subjected to extensive interrogation regarding the handling of the subsidy funds.
A source at the commission, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation, revealed that the officials were questioned for several hours.
“On Wednesday, some of our men were at NAHCON’s office to bring in the officials who had previously ignored our invitations.
“They were interrogated for hours on their arrival at our office. The investigation was triggered by petitions related to the management of the Hajj subsidy,” the source stated.
Confirming the development, ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, acknowledged the detention and subsequent release of the NAHCON officials after they met their bail conditions.
“Yes, they were in our office, and they were released after meeting their bail conditions. They are high-ranking officials, but I must clarify that their chairman is not included in this particular investigation. The probe continues,” Bakare said.
Bakare also dispelled rumors suggesting that the ICPC had shut down NAHCON’s operations. “We did not shut down the commission as speculated. We only went there to bring in officials who had failed to honour our invitations,” he clarified.
The arrest comes just days after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) interrogated NAHCON Chairman, Jalal Arabi, over similar allegations concerning the N90 billion 2024 Hajj subsidy.
This scrutiny followed concerns raised by Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, which prompted the National Assembly to launch a formal investigation into the alleged misuse of the subsidy.
Despite the growing controversy, NAHCON Chairman, Jalal Arabi, maintained that the funds were utilized transparently.
Speaking at a post-Hajj press conference in Abuja on July 29, Arabi disclosed that each pilgrim received N1,637,369.87 from the subsidy, with the exception of those under the Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS), who received additional support.
“All registered intending pilgrims, except those on HSS, were required to pay a balance of N1,918,094.87 since the N90 billion was not sufficient to cover the entire cost,” Arabi asserted
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