The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has granted bail to Jalal Arabi, the dismissed chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, and Abdullahi Kontagora, the commission’s secretary.
The two officials had been detained for five days following their arrest on charges of alleged mismanagement and unlawful withdrawal of the N90 billion Hajj intervention fund.
According to The PUNCH, although they initially struggled to meet the bail conditions, Arabi and Kontagora were released on Monday after eventually satisfying these requirements.
The investigation is ongoing, with no new recoveries reported beyond the previously retrieved 314,098 Saudi Riyals.
“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 reveals that the EFCC’s investigation, which has been ongoing since 2022, uncovered the recovery of estacodes paid to staff who did not participate in scheduled study tours and payments made to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd for services that were never rendered.
In a particularly concerning finding, 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 admitted that the consultant did not actually provide any services.
As the EFCC’s investigation continues, President Bola Tinubu dismissed Arabi from his role on August 19 and appointed Professor Abdullahi Usman as his successor. This leadership change at NAHCON is part of broader efforts to address the corruption allegations within the commission.