KANO, Nigeria – The Kano State Government has pledged to take legal action against the individuals responsible for the fraudulent sale of 156 Hajj slots, originally allocated to the state by the National Hajj Commission.
The Director General of the Kano Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Laminu Rabiu, made the revelation on Wednesday, Jjune 14, 2023.
According to Rabiu, Kano State had been allocated a total of 6,144 seats by the National Hajj Commission.
However, he discovered that all the seats had already been sold by the agency’s former officials led by Muhammad Abba Danbatta, with an over-sale by 156 seats.
Rabiu said: “It is really very sad to collect people’s money and disappoint them after they might have informed all and sundry that they were going to attend the pilgrimage.”
Addressing the plight of the affected pilgrims, Rabiu offered reassurance that they would be considered first for the next year’s Hajj.
He said: “We have pleaded with them to be patient and assured them that next year they will be among the first to be considered.”
Rabiu made it clear that investigations will be initiated once the Hajj is over and that any person found guilty of these fraudulent acts will face legal consequences.
As of now, the Kano Pilgrims Welfare Agency is awaiting the allocation of aircraft to the state by the National Hajj Commission, due to occur within the next few days.
This incident underscores the urgent need for stricter oversight and governance within the systems that manage such important religious obligations.
