ABUJA — Nearly three-quarters of public funds released for Christian and Muslim pilgrimages in Nigeria are being stolen by leaders of the relevant agencies, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Ola Olukoyede has alleged.
In a statement highlighted by the account Nigeria Stories on Saturday, Olukoyede said “nearly 75% of funds released for Christian, Muslim pilgrimages are stolen by agency leaders.”
The claim has drawn sharp reactions online, with some users questioning the lack of visible prosecutions and others arguing that pilgrimages should not be funded from the public purse at all.
One commenter, Victor Ayeni, wrote that pilgrimages “have no bearing on public morality and should be funded by private individuals who want to see where their religions came from — not from the government’s purse.”
Others demanded accountability. “If nearly 75% of public funds allocated for pilgrimages are being stolen, why are those responsible not being kept behind bars after due process?” asked Ishaku Audu. “Nigerians need investigations, prosecution, recovery of stolen funds, and convictions where the evidence proves guilt—not endless allegations.”
A third user, Obot Emmanuel, pointed to other high-profile cases, asking what action the EFCC was taking against former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello.
The EFCC has not yet released a detailed public statement elaborating on the specific agencies involved, the period covered by the alleged diversion, or the status of any ongoing investigations into the matter.
Nigeria has long operated state-supported pilgrimage boards for both the Christian Holy Land tours and the Muslim Hajj. Successive governments have allocated significant sums for these programmes, making them a recurring focus of anti-corruption scrutiny.
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