Governor suspends Kogi Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board chairman

Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Sunday suspended Alhaji Sadiq Rabiu, the Chairman of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, over an allegation of fraud during the just concluded Hajj.

The Director-General, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, who disclosed this in a statement in Lokoja, said Rabiu had been handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) for investigation and possible prosecution.

Fanwo said that the governor was also not happy with the dehumanising treatment of pilgrims from the state during the 2016 Hajj.

“The travails of the chairman stemmed from allegations of corruption, nepotism and blatant disregard to the welfare of the state’s contingent to this year’s pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia,” he said.

He said that the suspension of the chairman followed the outcome of an investigative panel into the allegations of corruption, nepotism and dehumanising treatment of pilgrims in spite of adequate provisions made by government.

Fanwo said that the administration was poised to address the issue of corruption with “absolute seriousness in order to checkmate the effect of corruption on the development of the state.”