The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has questioned a senior official from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.

The official, whose name has not been released, was detained by ICPC operatives at his office on Wednesday but has since been released on bail.

Some reports suggested that ICPC operatives raided NAHCON’s headquarters in Abuja as part of an investigation into the N90 billion subsidy given to the commission by the federal government for the 2024 Hajj.

However, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare clarified that the visit was not a raid.

Bakare said, “Our team visited the office in what can be described as a friendly visit.” He explained that the purpose of the visit was to question the NAHCON official, the Director of Procurement, who had previously failed to attend an investigation.

The investigation into the N90 billion Hajj subsidy has involved various anti-corruption agencies. In July, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission also questioned NAHCON Chairperson Jalal Arabi about the funds.

In May, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of the N90 billion subsidy to assist with the 2024 Hajj. Concerns about the management of these funds were raised by Northern governors in July.

At the NAHCON headquarters, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Fatima Usara, dismissed the raid reports. She stated, “First of all, it is a lie. You can verify with our neighbours if this place was ransacked. All our directors are here at work, and I can show you.”

Usara also denied that the EFCC had invited the NAHCON chairperson over suspicions of mismanagement. She explained that it is routine for the EFCC to review NAHCON’s financial disbursements after Hajj.

During a press briefing on July 29, Mr. Arabi said that the majority of the N90 billion subsidy was used to cover increased Hajj costs. He explained, “The federal government granted us a N90 billion subsidy, which we used to address the sharp increase in Hajj costs due to the high dollar exchange rate.”

Arabi added, “We supplemented the remaining N1.6 million for each of the over 50,000 pilgrims to ensure their Hajj journey was not disrupted.” The total subsidy of N1.6 million for 50,000 pilgrims amounted to N80 billion, leaving about N10 billion unaccounted for, which was used for other logistics.

He assured that NAHCON, despite not receiving regular subventions apart from salary allocations, remains committed to providing quality services to pilgrims.