The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has granted bail to the dismissed chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora. Both officials had been held in EFCC custody for five days after being arrested on charges related to the alleged mismanagement and unlawful withdrawal of the N90 billion Hajj intervention fund.
According to The PUNCH, despite their initial inability to meet the stringent bail conditions, a source close to the investigation confirmed that Arabi and Kontagora were released on Monday after finally fulfilling these requirements.
The source further disclosed that the investigation remains active, with no additional recoveries reported beyond the 314,098 Saudi Riyal that had previously been retrieved.
“The former Hajj Commission chairman and the secretary have been released, and the investigation is still ongoing. They were released on Monday after meeting their bail conditions. Nothing yet on the matter. No other recoveries except for the earlier ones,” the source revealed.
Efforts to reach EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale for comments were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or messages at the time of reporting.
Earlier reports from The PUNCH on August 15 indicated that the EFCC’s investigation had uncovered fraudulent activities involving the N90 billion Hajj subsidy.
Arabi is accused of overpaying himself and others under the guise of operational costs. As part of the ongoing probe, the EFCC recovered 314,098 Saudi Riyal from Arabi and other suspects.
A document reviewed, revealed, “The total sum of SR 8,614,175.27 cash withdrawal is yet to be accounted for by NAHCON.”
The document also highlighted that the EFCC’s investigation, which dates back to NAHCON’s activities since 2022, led to the recovery of estacodes paid to staff who never undertook scheduled study tours and payments made to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd for services that were never provided.
In a particularly damning revelation, the EFCC alleged that documents authorizing payments for consultancy services, including an approval signed by the Executive Chairman, were fraudulently backdated to January 23, 2024.
This manipulation was reportedly intended to justify a payment of SAR 780,019.59 to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd on April 14, 2024.
The EFCC claims that Arabi himself admitted that the consultant did not render any services.
In the midst of the EFCC’s ongoing investigation, President Bola Tinubu dismissed Arabi from his position on August 19 and appointed Professor Abdullahi Usman as his successor.
The change in leadership at NAHCON is seen as part of broader efforts to address the allegations of corruption within the commission.
