Nigeria’s anti-graft agency has detained Sirajo Salisu Usman, brother of the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), over alleged involvement in a N50 billion fraud linked to the commission’s 2025 Hajj operations, multiple sources told Reuters on Thursday.
Usman, a deputy director in the chairman’s office, was arrested on Wednesday by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja and remains in custody, according to officials familiar with the matter.
“The chairman’s brother is still in EFCC detention as of 12 p.m. on Thursday,” a source inside the commission said.
The case is part of a wider probe into suspected mismanagement of billions of naira at NAHCON, headed by Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, widely known as “Pakistan.” The EFCC is investigating contracts and expenditures that insiders say include N25 billion spent on tents in Masha’ir, N1.6 billion on allowances for spouses, and N8 billion on contingency accommodation in Makkah.
Earlier this month, the EFCC questioned several senior officials, including NAHCON’s commissioners for policy and finance, planning and statistics, as well as the commission’s legal adviser and accounts deputy director. Investigators have also grilled teams responsible for aviation, accommodation, clerics, medical services, and pilgrim movement in Saudi Arabia.
Internal finance department records reviewed by anti-graft investigators described NAHCON’s books as showing “considerable financial inefficiency,” according to one person with direct knowledge of the probe.
Several officials alleged that Sirajo Usman acted as a “de facto chairman,” approving contracts and influencing spending. “He is at the centre of all the cases being investigated by the EFCC,” a senior staff member said.
The EFCC has not issued a public statement on the detention. NAHCON’s spokesperson, Fatima Usara, described the arrest as “a routine operation,” but officials said the investigation is broad and includes procurement fraud, abuse of office and diversion of funds.
The commission has faced mounting criticism from stakeholders, some of whom are calling for a forensic audit and the removal of its chairman. Staff unions have threatened industrial action if issues around alleged illegal staffing and financial mismanagement are not addressed.
Vice President Kashim Shettima had previously ordered NAHCON’s leadership to disengage dozens of “pool officers” seconded to the commission, but the directive has yet to be implemented.
