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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has interrogated a top official of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The NAHCON official, whose full details have not been known, was arrested by ICPC operatives at his office on Wednesday.He has since been released on bail.
Some media reports indicated that ICPC operatives raided the headquarters of NAHCON in Abuja on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the use of the N90 billion subsidy released to the commission by the federal government for the 2024 Hajj.
ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare confirmed the visit of the agency’s operatives to NAHCON in a phone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday.
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But he said the visit was not a raid.
According to him, ICPC operatives visited NAHCON to pick up a top official who failed to honour an investigation extended to all the directors of the Hajj commission for questioning.
“Our team visited the office in what can be described as a friendly visit,” Mr Bakare said, refusing to give further details.
He said the NAHCON official, NAHCON’s Director of Procurement, whose further details have yet to be ascertained by our reporter, has been granted bail after answering questions.
Anti-corruption agencies have scrutinised the N90 billion Hajj subsidy released to NAHCON by the federal government for the 2024 Hajj.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited the NAHCON chairperson, Jalal Arabi, for questioning over the funds in July.
In May, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of N90 billion subsidy for the 2024 Hajj.
In July, some Northern governors raised concerns about the management of the subsidy.
NACON reacts to arrest
Our reporter visited NAHCON’s headquarters on Friday. The office environment was calm.
NAHCON’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Fatima Usara, told our reporter at her office that ICPC operatives did not raid NAHCON’s office as reported. She said the ICPC operatives only came for the Head of Procurement of NAHCON after he failed to honour the anti-corruption agency’s earlier invitation.
She said the ICPC operatives asked the man to accompany them for questioning.
“First of all, it is a lie,” she said of the reported raid on the commission office. “You can verify with our neighbours if this place was ransacked. All our directors are here at work, and I can show you,” Ms Usara said.
She also said the EFCC did not invite the NAHCON chairperson on suspicion of mismanagement of the N90 billion Hajj subsidy. She said it was an annual routine for the EFCC to request the NAHCON to give an account of its disbursements after Hajj.
How N90 billion Hajj subsidy was spent – NAHCON chair
NAHCON chairperson, Mr Arabi, gave a post-Hajj press briefing on 29 July, detailing how the subsidies were expended.
Documents referenced by Mr Arabi during the briefing indicated that NAHCON bore extra costs in addition to the N90 billion Hajj subsidies granted by the federal government
According to him, of the N90 billion, about N80 billion was expended as subsidies for 50,000 pilgrims from the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with each receiving N1.6 million.
Other pilgrims under the Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS) and all officials used up over N10 billion, the document said.
The document also indicated that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which disbursed the funds on behalf of the federal government, deducted 2 per cent service charge per pilgrim. This, according to the commission, amounted to about 1.7 billion
With CBN having deducted its charges, the commission said it faced unexpected costs of around N4 billion for accommodations in Medina. The document stated that while the commission initially estimated the cost at Saudi Riyal (SR) 850 per bed space for 11,000 spaces, they only secured 8,754 spaces at that rate.
NAHCON said the additional expenses, coupled with the CBN deductions, resulted in a loss of approximately N6 billion for NAHCON.
Mr Arabi said despite the challenges, the commission remains committed to providing quality services to pilgrims.
Editor’s Note: This report has been updated to reflect additional information provided by NAHCON.
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