The Kwara State Government says it has replaced the stolen Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) of some of its pilgrims who fell victim to fraudsters in Saudi Arabia.
This follows a viral video showing some of the pilgrims lamenting that they received $1 bills instead of the $500 given to them.
It was gathered that the affected pilgrims, about nine of them comprising seven men and two women, who are mostly elderly, had sought help from strangers to convert their dollars into Saudi Riyals.
The suspects allegedly took advantage of their ignorance to switch the money during the exchange.
Professor Abubakar Aliagan, a popular scholar in the state, had initially raised the alarm on the issue in a viral video from Saudi Arabia.
Aliagan said in the video that many of the victims were duped while trying to get golden or silver teeth, among other services.
The Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board suggested that the fraud occurred after the pilgrims arrived in Medina.
The Executive Secretary of the Board, Abdulsalam Abdulkadir, in a statement on Sunday, confirmed that investigations were ongoing to identify those behind the criminal act.
He warned that anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law.
Each pilgrim, he noted, had earlier received $500 publicly and in the presence of officials of the Department of State Services (DSS).
“They counted the money and signed for it before departure,” he said.
But following the incident, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq approved a fresh disbursement of $500 to each of the affected pilgrims to make up for the loss.
The Board said it welcomed the proposal by the Central Bank of Nigeria to stop cash distribution of the BTA, adding that the preloaded debit cards will reduce the risk of theft and help elderly pilgrims manage their funds safely.
While expressing gratitude to the Governor for his prompt intervention, the Board condemned the actions of those who took advantage of vulnerable pilgrims.
It called on the public to provide any useful information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.
