The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is currently grilling the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Pakistan, over alleged multi-billion naira fraud.
Sources at the EFCC said Mr Pakistan arrived at the anti-graft headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday around 12 pm.
Another source said the Hajj commission boss was accompanied to the EFCC by a personal lawyer Kazeem Atetebi.
Sources within the EFCC confirmed to this newspaper that Mr Pakistan was still at the anti-corruption headquarters in Abuja at the time of publishing this report.
The NAHCON chief is being investigated over alleged financial misconduct running into billions of naira.
Some of the NAHCON issues under investigation include the alleged squandering of N25 billion on Masha’ir extra bed space, N1.6 billion on NAHCON staff spouses, and N8 billion on Makkah contingency bed spaces.
There is also the alleged extra-budgetary spending of over 300 per cent of his approved budget; N25 billion expended on officials, staff, and board members; N1.4 billion as allowances of committees; and the mismanagement of Madinah bed spaces from 11,000 to 18,000 for 41,000 pilgrims.
This newspaper reports that Mr Pakistan was scheduled to appear before the anti-graft agency on Wednesday, 17 September 2025.
However, he requested an extension to travel to Saudi Arabia, and the hearing was rescheduled to 2 October 2025. Nonetheless, he did not attend on that day after returning from Saudi Arabia.
According to security sources at the Presidency, Mr Pakistan was at the Presidential Villa for a meeting with Vice President Kashim and NAHCON chiefs on Monday, 6 October 2025, where the Vice President directed the commission to reduce the 2026 Hajj fares.
Upon seeing Mr Pakistan, VP Shettima, according to security sources, directed the NAHCON boss to proceed to the EFCC to respond to their invitation. Mr Pakistan, however, refused to go; instead, he attended an International Forum of Saudi Graduates event held in Abuja, in open defiance to the VP’s order.
The anti-corruption agency has detained and questioned top officers of the commission to date.
Days earlier, Mr Pakistan had granted an interview to an Islamic online blog, where he was seen calling the bluff of the EFCC, saying that he was not afraid of the anti-graft agency because it cannot prove its allegations against him.
On September 16, 2025, the NAHCON Secretary, Dr Mustapha Muhammad Ali, was grilled by the EFCC and released on bail over the corruption allegations.
Earlier, the EFCC detained and grilled the Commissioner, Policy, Personnel and Finance (PPMF), Aliu Abdulrazak; Commissioner, Planning, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Professor Abubakar A. Yagawal; directors, deputy and assistant directors, special advisers to the chairman, among others.
Mr Pakistan has been dodging his appearance at the EFCC headquarters, according to EFCC sources. “His people have reached out to me, pleading that I should intervene to cancel the invitation. I told them plainly that the current EFCC leadership under Mr Ola Olukoyede is a no-nonsense fella. I also said that besides, Islam abhors corruption, particularly when it concerns Hajj-related matters,” the anti-graft official said.
This newspaper noted that some board members and staff of NAHCON were pleased with the development. “We are happy because justice is about to be served for dragging the name of the Hajj commission into the mud through unprecedented (alleged) sleaze of public funds,” one of the officials said.
The staff have commended the EFCC for taking the bold step of addressing drift in the commission triggered by the alleged ongoing financial recklessness by its incumbent leadership.
They said President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima “should act fast by removing NAHCON chairman and the secretary from office to allow an unbiased and unfettered investigation.”
The NAHCON officers said, “allowing Professor Pakistan and Dr Ali to remain in office will jeopardise the fraud probe.”
