Birnin Kebbi, May 26, 2026 — The Kebbi State Police Command has apprehended four individuals over an alleged fraud involving fake Hajj seat allocations worth millions of naira.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Usman Bashar, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi.
According to the police, the main suspect, Aminu Hassan Zauro, was arrested alongside Tabiu Abubakar, Usman Attahiru and Mustapha Sani Zauro, while four other suspects identified as Bello Jos, Atiku Store, Umar Gimba and Usman Bunza remain on the run.
Bashar explained that the arrests followed a complaint lodged by the Kebbi State Pilgrims Welfare Agency after discrepancies were discovered in the records of some intending pilgrims.
Preliminary investigations showed that Aminu Hassan Zauro allegedly posed as someone capable of securing Hajj slots and collected N8.6 million from a victim with a promise to provide two seats for the 2026 pilgrimage.
Police also alleged that the suspect received an additional N690,000 deposit from another victim under the same arrangement.
To make the scheme appear genuine, the suspect reportedly distributed unauthorised Hajj materials, including branded bags, hijabs, wrappers and counterfeit medical cards to victims.
The police said the recovered exhibits included the fake pilgrimage materials and a Tecno Android phone believed to have been used in the operation.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Umar Hadejia advised intending pilgrims to process all Hajj arrangements only through the Kebbi State Pilgrims Welfare Agency and its approved officials to avoid falling prey to fraudsters.
He also directed that all suspects linked to the alleged scam be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.