THE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Pakistan, has ordered the arrest of News Point Nigeria’s editor, Farouk Abbas, through the Department of State Services (DSS) over a series of investigative reports exposing corruption in the commission and his alleged disrespect and coordinated attacks against Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Editor Arrested and Detained for Over 50 Hours
Abbas was reportedly arrested by DSS operatives on October 14, moments after exiting a shopping mall in Kaduna. He was detained for more than 50 hours before being released following intense legal efforts by News Point Nigeria’s lawyers.
The journalist was forced to sign an undertaking before regaining his freedom and has since been instructed to report to the headquarters of the DSS Command in Kaduna every morning.
Following his release, Abbas was admitted to a hospital due to health complications arising from his ordeal while in captivity. He is still receiving treatment at a private medical facility in Kaduna.
While the legal team and the publisher, Sadiq Abdullateef, worked to secure Abbas’s release, several individuals allegedly linked to the NAHCON chairman began threatening both men and their families.
The threats, intensified after the newspaper refused to retract or pull down earlier investigative stories on massive corruption and fact-checks about Professor Pakistan’s alleged misconduct— further reaffirming its earlier position that it stands by its stories.
However, the Hajj commission has failed to refute any fact contained in all the investigative reports published by this newspaper. Instead, the commission first used inducement gambit but when that failed they resorted to threats and intimidation.
Among those identified in the initial inducement attempts and subsequent threats and intimidation were Ghali Sadiq, a senior journalist and former Managing Director of Radio Kano, who had earlier approached Abbas for reconciliation. After the paper declined to publish his submissions, he allegedly began issuing threats, claiming that “if not for my intervention, the chairman wants to make sure Farouk is not seen anytime soon.”
Mr Ghali went as far as issuing a statement purportedly on behalf of NAHCON — further attacking the vice president and his top aides, particularly the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Vice President’s Office), Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia.
In the press release shared and published by Mr Ghali in his Facebook page and other people linked to Mr Pakistan on behalf of “NAHCON management,” Mr Ghali said, “It has come to light through credible insider sources that the publication in question was sponsored by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President, who facilitated substantial funding to Mr. Farouq Abbas with express instructions to broadcast an unbalanced, one-sided story aimed at discrediting the person and office of the NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman Pakistan.”
Contrary to Mr Ghali’s allegations, this newspaper and its editors have no connection whatsoever with, not to talk of funding or any sponsorship, from the Vice President, DCOS Hadejia or any other official in that office.
Another associate of the NAHCON boss, Hussaini Jarma, was also said to have made threatening phone calls to both Abbas and Abdullateef.
According to audio phone records obtained by this newspaper, Jarma allegedly said:
“Whoever wants to see the end of Sheikh (Pakistan) will see his own end. We know your homes; we will deal with you.”
Similarly, an individual identified as Alhaji Na Gwale reportedly told the publisher: “We are waiting for you in Kano. Continue publishing rubbish about our Sheikh, and you will reap what you sow. Sheikh Pakistan is bigger than you and your Vice President, and we will show you that.”
Another associate, Zulyadaini Sidi Mustapha, who has been repeatedly accused of running smear campaigns on Kano radio stations on behalf of the NAHCON boss, also threatened to sue News Point Nigeria for describing him as one of Pakistan’s stooges — despite multiple public broadcasts confirming the allegation.
Mr Pakistan’s boldness to use the DSS to crackdown on journalists, it was authoritatively gathered, was due to the support and encouragement he allegedly got from an senior aide of President Bola Tinubu from Katsina State, and another security aide from Kaduna state — who are both working inside the Presidential Villa. The two presidential aides have allegedly took Mr Pakistan to see Mr Tinubu in company of a famous cleric — where he allegedly “reported” the VP Shettima to President Tinubu for allegedly trying to remove him from office.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) and political commentators in both Abuja and Kano have condemned what they described as an abuse of power and misuse of state security apparatus by the NAHCON chairman.
They argued that a serving public official and cleric using the DSS to intimidate journalists for reporting verified facts sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom in Nigeria.
The three reports that reportedly triggered the NAHCON chairman’s anger and led to the DSS arrest were:
“NAHCON Chairman, Abdullahi Pakistan, Launches Attacks On VP Shettima As EFCC Deepens Probe” – published October 14, 2025.
“EFCC Interrogates NAHCON Chairman, Abdullahi Pakistan, Over Alleged Multi-Billion Naira Fraud” – published October 7, 2025.
“NAHCON’s N19bn Savings For Nigerian Pilgrims False, 2026 Hajj Fare Could Have Been N6.7m” – published October 5, 2025.
1. NAHCON Chairman’s Alleged Attacks on VP Shettima
The first report revealed that Professor Pakistan allegedly directed social media operatives, popularly called “sojojin baka”, to attack Vice President Kashim Shettima and his aides online.
Those allegedly involved included Abdulmajeed Danbilki Kwamanda, Junaidu Aminu, Usaini Jarma, and Zulyadainj Sidi Mustapha, all prominent Kano-based social media users.
The story noted that the NAHCON boss’s hostility toward the Vice President began after Mr. Shettima’s intervention in several internal NAHCON disputes, including the directive to review the inflated 2026 Hajj fares and to redeploy several improperly seconded staff members, including Pakistan’s relatives, as well as directives to honour the EFCC invitation.
2. Hajj Fare “Savings” Exposé
The second report challenged NAHCON’s claim that it had saved ₦19 billion for intending pilgrims through negotiations with Saudi service providers.
News Point Nigeria’s investigation found that only minor changes were made in the 2026 Hajj fare components and that, contrary to NAHCON’s statement, the total cost of pilgrimage actually increased by about ₦47,825 per pilgrim.
The story also revealed that NAHCON used an inflated exchange rate of ₦1,550/$ instead of the Central Bank’s official ₦1,450/$, which effectively padded the fares by over ₦33.5 billion.
3. EFCC Probe into Multi-Billion Naira Fraud
The third report disclosed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had invited Professor Pakistan over alleged financial misconduct running into billions of naira.
The investigation covered ₦25 billion allegedly spent on Masha’ir extra bed spaces, ₦1.6 billion on staff spouses, ₦8 billion on contingency expenses, and other unauthorized spending exceeding budgetary limits.
The NAHCON boss reportedly ignored earlier EFCC summons and even defied a direct order from Vice President Shettima to honour the anti-graft agency’s invitation after a meeting at the Presidential Villa. He instead attended the Saudi Arabian graduates event.
More Journalists, Media Organizations Targeted
This newspaper reliably gathered that more journalists and media organizations have been penciled down for the gestapo-style abduction by the DSS on behalf of Mr Pakistan. Their only offense, it was revealed, was their refusal to be compromised into backing down from publishing stories believed to be not favorable to the embattled NAHCON boss.
Top among the journalists include the Editor of 21st Century Chronicle, Nuruddeen M. Abdallah; Editor of Hajj Reporters News, Ibrahim Muhammad, and General Manager of Lumana Radio International, Yakubu Musa Fagge. The NAHCON chairman is allegedly planning to give them Mr Abbas’ treatment, where they would be abducted by the DSS, brutalized and locked up.
Another top journalist to be arrested is News Point Nigeria’s editor-in-chief, Mr Abdullateef — for his refusal to back down despite many promises and threats before and after his editor’s arrest by Mr Pakistan’s handlers. Other media organizations targeted include the Daily Nigerian, Apex Exclusive, Elanza News, among others — for simply daring to publish investigative reports about NAHCON.
Rights groups kick
As pressure mounts on the DSS and NAHCON to explain the journalist’s arrest, several media unions and rights groups have vowed to petition the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and international watchdogs, including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
A constitutional lawyer, Gbenga Adefarati warns that this incident is part of a troubling pattern of intimidation against journalists exposing corruption in federal agencies.
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