In light of a scandal involving the sale of 156 fraudulent Hajj slots by former officials of the Kano Pilgrims Welfare Agency, the Kano state government has pledged to vigorously prosecute those responsible for these deceitful actions.
The National Hajj Commission had allocated 6,144 seats to Kano for the pilgrimage, but it was recently discovered that the agency’s officials, led by Muhammad Abba Danbatta, had sold an additional 156 seats to intending pilgrims.
According to the Director General of the Agency, Laminu Rabiu, “On resumption of duty after my appointment as the Director General, I found out that all the seats had been sold by the then Secretary. I did not meet any available seats.”
Rabiu further lamented, “Moreover, he had oversold the seats by about 156, meaning that those affected will not be able to perform the Hajj even after making all payments and fulfilling the requirements.”
The Director General expressed his disappointment at the situation, stating, “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.”
In an attempt to appease the affected individuals, Rabiu assured them that they would be given priority next year. He stated, “We have pleaded with them to be patient and assured them that next year they will be among the first to be considered. Already, 2,558 pilgrims have been successfully airlifted to the Holy Land.”
Rabiu also emphasized that a thorough investigation would be conducted after the Hajj, and anyone found guilty of any wrongdoing would face the full force of the law. He said, “We are going to investigate the incident after the Hajj and ensure that whosoever is found guilty of any wrongdoings faces the wrath of the law accordingly.”
Meanwhile, the agency is currently waiting for the allocation of aircraft from the National Hajj Commission within the next few days.
