Sirajo Salisu Usman, brother of the chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, is reportedly in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged Hajj fraud.
Sahara Reporters reports that Sirajo, Nicknamed “ka fi chairman” (“de facto chairman”) and Pakistan, was arrested in Abuja on Wednesday and spent the night in EFCC custody.
He serves as deputy director in the chairman’s office is accused of wielding enormous influence at NAHCON, including granting approvals on behalf of his brother.
Investigators allege that during the 2025 Hajj, the commission squandered ₦25 billion on Masha’ir tents, ₦1.6 billion on spouses, and ₦8 billion on unused Makkah contingency houses, among other questionable expenditures. Reports also show that Sirajo singlehandedly approved 6,500 unused contingency bed spaces in Makkah, resulting in a loss of ₦8 billion.
His arrest follows earlier EFCC detentions of other top NAHCON officials, including commissioners Aliu Abdulrazak and Professor Abubakar A. Yagawal, as well as senior directors and advisers.
The anti-graft agency is now probing alleged procurement fraud, inflated contracts, abuse of office, and outright theft across NAHCON departments.
Sahara Reporters reports that saff and stakeholders accuse Professor Pakistan of breaching procurement laws, running the commission as a sole administrator, and ignoring Vice President Kashim Shettima’s directive to disengage 26 pool officers—25 of whom he sponsored for the 2025 Hajj. Workers have threatened protests and a shutdown if reforms are not implemented.
Stakeholders are demanding a total overhaul of NAHCON, recovery of all misappropriated funds, and prosecution of those involved.
EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, did not respond to The Witness inquiries as at press time.
