Monumental Fraud At Nasarawa Pilgrims Board, How Board Operates Multiple Accounts, As NAHCON Opens Can Of Worms
Rabiu Omaku
Fresh facts from the office of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) unveiled that the Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board operates illegal bank accounts; it revealed that the board under the headship of the executive secretary, Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba operates three accounts with Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and First bank.
In spite of the adoption of the Treasury Single Account, the NSMPWB flouted the directive of the current All Progressives Congress under the able leadership of President Muhammed Buhari with a sole aim of getting rid of corruption from the sands of Nigeria.
The commissioner operations and inspectorate gave the hint while addressing Bar. Abdullahi Ubandoma Abdullahi of Aamal chambers and his counterpart Bar.Ibrahim Iga when he lead five out of eleven intending pilgrims defrauded by the Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Speaker at the meeting also include the auditor of NAHCON, Mal.Shamaki in a preliminary investigation vindicated the embattled staff of the Board, Sagir Muhammed who has been declared wanted by the state governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura over the diversion of N30m meant for hajj fare of twenty eight intending pilgrims.
The auditor confided that Sagir who is now at large has logged substantive amounts into a bank account with account name NASARAWA STATE MUSLIM PILGRIMS BOARD, he further said all the three accounts bears the same account name, he alongside a detective said the guy on the wanted list of security agents logged hajj fare belonging to eleven persons to three different accounts.
“We will adjourn the meeting to a later date so as to enable the chairman, Bar.Abdullahi Muktar make an input, though our intention is to see that all those that paid their hajj fare this year embark on the holy pilgrimage, while any person found wanting will face the consequence of his impudence,” said the commissioner operations.
Counsel to the eleven defrauded intending pilgrims demanded for the full refund of the sum of N11, 550,000 or should ensure that his clients are immediately airlifted to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform their religious obligation together with all the intending pilgrims from the state.
Our reporter further gathered that all the tellers, hajj forms were duly signed by the executive secretary of the NSMPWB, Nalaraba but only three out of the eleven estranged pilgrims were given their international passport while majority of them that completed the payment of their hajj fare has no substantive proof to back up their complaint.
Those defrauded includes
1.Baba Musa Magiru
2.Datti Musa Abdullahi
3.Ahmadu Yusuf Mainasara
4.Umar Makaho
5.Jibrin Yusuf Jibrin
6.Abubakar Buba
7.Mohammed Sani
8.Hadiza Ahmadu Juli
9.Amina Ahmadu Kabo
10.Habiba A.Judao
11.Usaini Budi
Meanwhile the executive secretary of the Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board in a telephone conversation debunked the information that monies collected by Sagir Muhammed were logged into an account belonging to the “NASARAWA STATE MUSLIM PILGRIMS WELFARE BOARD”.
On the discovery of illegal account Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba said the board operates seven (7) different accounts reasons being that monies collected are deposited to different bank accounts including micro finance bank.
“In some local governments you hardly find Zenith or Unity banks which are our main accounts which my accountant and I are signatories to, they deposit their hajj fare by making our work easier “he added.
The executive secretary vindicated the board over the missing N30m hajj fare, he however asserted that his staff, Sagir Muhammed forged and altered bank account as he said all the transactions made by the eleven intending pilgrims were not genuine.
He expressed displeasure over the pronouncement that the N11, 550,000 belonging to eleven pilgrims were logged into account of the board; he queried the yardstick used by NAHCON on her preliminary investigation. He insisted that the staff of the board now at large defrauded twenty eight intending pilgrims not the board.
“The commission supposed to invite the lawyers and board for fair hearing not inviting only one side, there is no fairness as Nalaraba opined that he has lost confidence on the auditor of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Mal.Shamaki.
