“NAHCON Officials Detained” — EFCC Holds Two Senior Officers Over Alleged 2025 Hajj Fraud

Two senior officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) are currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraud linked to the 2025 Hajj operations.

Multiple EFCC sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the detained officials are Aliu Abdulrazak, Commissioner of Policy, Personnel, and Finance (PPMF), and Aminu Muhammed, Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA).

According to the sources, the officials were arrested for failing to return funds they allegedly misappropriated, although the exact amount involved has not yet been made public.

The arrests come amid mounting allegations of mismanagement and financial infractions in the 2025 Hajj exercise, which the Forum of Chief Executives of State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards described as “a total failure.”

The forum, in its review of the Hajj operations, raised 16 issues, seven of which directly related to financial irregularities now under EFCC investigation.

In a statement signed by its Assistant Director of Information and Publication, Fatima Usara, NAHCON addressed the development without directly confirming the detentions. The commission stressed its commitment to accountability and due process, maintaining that it has an “open and ongoing relationship” with anti-corruption and regulatory agencies.

“The commission would not shield any staff or process found wanting,” the statement read. Usara also urged the public and media to exercise restraint and allow due process to take its course.

This is not the first time NAHCON has been investigated by anti-graft bodies. In 2024, the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) probed former NAHCON Chairman, Jalal Arabi, over the alleged diversion of a ₦90 billion government subsidy for the Hajj pilgrimage. President Bola Tinubu later sacked Arabi in October 2024.

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