The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigation of the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Malam Jalal Arabi, over the Federal Government’s N90 Billion subsidy for the 2024 Hajj operations in Saudi Arabia.
The Commission formally invited the Chairman and was expected to appear before it in its headquarters, Abuja today, July 30.
Sources at the EFCC said that Arabi would be expected to provide detailed explanations also on how NAHCON shared thousands of dollars allocated to it for the pilgrims.
It was gathered that the detectives are investigating a series of petitions against Arabi and the Commission that he heads, over alleged maltreatment of pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during the 2024 exercise.
A source in the EFCC hinted thus: “we are doing our job as prescribed in law without minding whose ox is gored. In the EFCC, nothing concerns us with religion or tribe, what is important for us is to tame financial crimes and other fraudulent activities in our society.”
Arabi had earlier said at a media chat that the N90 billion intervention was approved by the president to assist pilgrims due to the instability of the naira. He said that the commission used the funds to support pilgrims who paid for the 2024 Hajj through the government quota.
