Police arrest four over N8.6m Hajj fraud

The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with a scheme in which an alleged fraudster collected N8.6 million from intending pilgrims under the false promise of securing Hajj seats for the 2026 pilgrimage season.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Usman Bashar, confirmed the arrests in a statement issued in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday, identifying the prime suspect as Aminu Hassan Zauro, who was apprehended alongside Tabiu Abubakar, Usman Attahiru, and Mustapha Sani Zauro.

Four other suspects — Bello Jos, Atiku Store, Umar Gimba, and Usman Bunza — remained at large as of the time of the statement.

Bashar said the arrests followed a complaint from the Kebbi Pilgrims Welfare Agency after it discovered that the names of some registered pilgrims were absent from its official records.

Investigations subsequently revealed that Zauro, who had no legitimate access to Hajj allocation slots, had fraudulently collected N8.6 million from one victim and an initial deposit of N690,000 from another, both under the pretence of processing their seats.

To sustain the deception, the suspect procured and presented unauthorised branded Hajj materials — including bags, hijabs, wrappers, and fake medical record cards — to his victims. Police recovered all the items, along with a Tecno Android phone.

The state Commissioner of Police, Umar Hadejia, warned intending pilgrims to conduct all Hajj transactions exclusively through the Kebbi Pilgrims Welfare Agency or its accredited officials, noting that fraudulent pilgrimage schemes claim new victims every year.

He directed that all those found culpable be prosecuted.