The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday conducted a raid at the headquarters of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in Abuja, leading to the arrest of the commission’s spokesperson, Fatimah Usara, along with three other staff members.
The operation, which commenced around 11 a.m., was carried out by EFCC operatives who arrived at the premises in a white bus, armed with a valid warrant of arrest.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the arrests are linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged financial misconduct and misappropriation of funds within the commission.
This latest development follows an earlier raid by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which focused on the alleged mismanagement of a N90 billion intervention fund allocated for the 2024 Hajj operations.
In a statement, the EFCC accused NAHCON’s leadership, including Chairman Jalal Arabi and Secretary Abdullahi Kontagora, of fraudulent activities related to the Hajj subsidy. Investigations reportedly uncovered significant discrepancies in the disbursement of funds meant for the operational costs of the 2024 pilgrimage.
“The chairman and several other officials were found to have overpaid themselves and others under the guise of necessary operational expenditures,” an EFCC spokesperson stated.
The anti-graft agency further revealed that these inflated payments amounted to a total of SR314,098 (Saudi Riyals).
Jalal Arabi had previously been interrogated by the EFCC on July 29, 2024, and was later released on bail.
Efforts to obtain further comments from EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale were unsuccessful at the time of this report.
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