APEX NEWS EXCLUSIVE has said it stands by its story on the alleged N45 billion extra-budgetary expenditure by the former Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Pakistan, during the 2025 Hajj.
The story was published by the Abuja-based newspaper in a joint multi-platform investigative reporting series.
The declaration was made in a letter addressed to AL-ADL Legal Consult, counsel to Hajj Gazette News and Current Affairs Magazine.
We Stand By Our Story
The story in question, titled “2025 Hajj: NAHCON CEO, Abdullahi Pakistan, Defies Tinubu’s Order, Spends N45 Billion Without Approval,” was published on February 4, 2026.
A letter from Barr. Alkali Adamu Askira of Danyaya Jurist Consult, and titled, “Re: Defamatory, false and malicious publication against Hajj Gazette News & Current Affairs Magazine,” on behalf of Apex News Exclusive, states, “Our Client categorically denies liability in the said allegation that the article as captioned above is libellous.
“Our client stands by its story and further states that the publication was made in the public interest.”
The lawyer further said that, ‘The above notwithstanding, our client is not in any way adverse to your desire to go to court and encourage you to do so.’
Curiously, the Apex News Exclusive’s counsel further told the Hajj Gazette lawyer that, “The name of the Counsel that signed off this letter is totally INCONGRUENT with the name on the Stamp & Seal of legal Practitioners. R. G IBRAHIM ESQ., who signed off this letter, is not synonymous with ADAMU MOHAMMED JERE, whose Stamp & Seal was affixed on the letter.”
Hajj Gazette Complaint
On February 4, 2026, Hajj Gazette News and Current Affairs Magazine, through AL-ADL Legal Consult and signed by Barr. R.G Ibrahim, claimed that a report authored by News Point Nigeria‘s Hamza Rufai titled, “2025 Hajj: NAHCON CEO, Abdullahi Pakistan, Defies Tinubu’s Order, Spends N45 Billion Without Approval,” also used by APEX was slanderous.
The legal firm argued that the report falsely suggested that Hajj Gazette was controlled or operated by officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) as a propaganda outlet and a tool for political manipulation.
AL-ADL Legal Consult described the claims as malicious fabrications, maintaining that Hajj Gazette News and Current Affairs Magazine is a fully independent media organisation. The firm stressed that the magazine has no financial, editorial, administrative, or institutional links with NAHCON or its leadership.
The law firm called for the immediate removal of all allegedly defamatory content from websites, social media platforms, print editions, and digital archives.
It also demanded a public apology, to be published with the same prominence as the original report, clearly stating that the allegations were false and misleading.
It also requested a written undertaking within seven days confirming full compliance with these demands. The notice warned that failure to meet the conditions within the stipulated time frame would trigger legal action without further notice.
The Investigative Report
This newspaper, in a joint newsroom collaboration investigation story series, reported how the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Pakistan, spent over N44.93 billion without President Bola Tinubu’s approval during the 2025 Hajj operation.
Analysis of the NAHCON-approved onshore and offshore budget for 2025 Hajj, along with its budget performance report, revealed that Mr Pakistan spent approximately $28.08 million (equivalent to N45 billion) during last year’s Hajj operation without the President’s approval.
The illegal expenditures comprise of $7.18 million (about N11.48 billion) extra-budgetary spending on five budget lines, and another $20.90 million (about N33.44 billion) on four items that were never captured in the budget.
Though President Tinubu only approved $12.9 million for the offshore operation for the 2025 Hajj, Mr Pakistan ended up spending $28.08 million against the President’s approval.
Hajj Gazette Not Registered
Checks by this newspaper at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed that Hajj Gazette was not registered at the commission as required by the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020.
It was also found out that the Hajj Gazette has no physical office, no posting address, no telephone number, and no functioning email address.
Apex News Exclusive’s many attempts to forward its counsel’s response to their letter were not possible. Mails sent to the three email addresses listed on the Hajj Gazette website bounced back.
Media War And Attacks On Kashim Shettima
In apparent efforts to undermine the ongoing corruption investigation and his potential removal, Pakistan, according to NAHCON insiders, allegedly voted millions to establish two online newspapers, aimed at boosting his tarnished reputation.
The two online newspapers, Hajj Chronicles and Hajj Gazette, were launched late last year, with Hajj Chronicles managed by an outside media consultant, a one-time managing director of a radio station in Kano.
Hajj Gazette, it was revealed, was out to burnish the embattled image of Pakistan at all costs. The newspaper appointed Pakistan “Man of the Year 2025,” just weeks after its establishment.
Insiders said Hajj Gazette is being run directly by the media unit domiciled in Mr Pakistan’s office. “It is a well-oiled attack dog at the beck and call of the NAHCON chairman,” one of the officials in the Hajj commission told this newspaper then.
Hajj Gazette also attacked Pakistan’s imaginary and real enemies from inside and outside the commission.
It also recently published a report lambasting the NAHCON Commissioner of Operations, Anofi Elegushi.
Credible sources have confirmed to this newspaper that Pakistan is allegedly personally directing and coordinating the attacks on the VP’s office through many social media warriors and influencers majorly from Kano
The social media warriors, popularly known as “sojojin baka” in Hausa, have launched a series of unprovoked attacks on Vice President Kashim Shettima and his top aides that include the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, Senator Ibrahim Hasan Hadejia, among others.
Some of the prominent Kano-based social media warriors that launched attacks on the vice president and his top aides on behalf of Pakistan include Abdulmajeed Danbilki Kwamanda, Junaidu Aminu, Usaini Jarma, Zulyqdaini Sidi Mustapha, among others.
Zulyqdaini Mustapha, in his Facebook audio past, praised Pakistan and accused the VP’s office of harassing and blackmailing the NAHCON boss through EFCC investigation, for refusing to oblige them with the huge kickbacks they demanded.
Also, Jarma, in an interview with Freedom Radio, accused the VP’s office of using EFCC against Pakistan over “his refusal to accept a service provider imposed by the VP’s office.” He said Pakistan is being punished for refusing to kowtow to the whims of the VP’s office.
Jarma specifically accused “DCOS Ibrahim Hadejia of desperately imposing a blacklisted Saudi company on NAHCON to serve Nigerian pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, with the connivance of chief executives of some state pilgrims boards.”
He claimed that Pakistan’s “resistance to this company has caused him serious trauma and harassment that includes his questioning by the EFCC. DCOS has deployed his boys to ensure that the NAHCON chairman is ridiculed, disgraced and punished.”
On his part, Danbilki Kwamanda has described DCOS Hadejia as “the biggest disaster around VP Shettima.”
He said Hadejia has launched a war against Pakistan for his refusal to surrender the Commonwealth of Nigerian pilgrims to him.
Pakistan’s Boys Takeover 2026 NAHCON Media Team
Insiders told this newspaper that days before his exit, Pakistan had populated the 2026 National Media Team of the Hajj commission with the same online bloggers, social media influencers, ‘data boys’ and ‘Sojojin Baka’ that came to the limelight for simply attacking VP Shettima and the staff members in his office.
Of the 40 people in the 2026 NAHCON Media Team, about 26 of the names were made up of these characters that carved niche for themselves in attacking VP Shettima on radio stations, social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp groups, YouTube, TikTok, among others.
“It was a kind of a ‘job well done’ for them. And they are bragging about it,” one of the insiders said.
Some stakeholders who spoke to this newspaper said the new NAHCON Chairman/CEO, Amb. Ismail Yusuf, should cancel the media team list. They urged him to disband the media team and appoint competent journalists from reputable media organizations to cover the 2926 Hajj.
The stakeholders also urged the new NAHCON chief to avoid Pakistan’s culture of funding online bloggers to attack the vice president.
“It is expedient for Amb. Ismail Yusuf to disband and ignore Pakistan’s anti-VP Shettima attack squad. He should also be professional in his relationship with the media. His professional handling of the media, particularly professional journalists with deep knowledge of the Hajj ecosystem would go a long way in streamlining his activities as the Nigeria’s Hajj ombudsman,” one of the stakeholders said.
Arrest And Intimidation Of Journalists
In an apparent crackdown on free press, Pakistan, it was reliably gathered, ordered the arrest of News Point Nigeria’s editor, Farouk Abbas, through the Department of State Services (DSS) over a series of investigative reports exposing corruption in the commission.
DSS operatives reportedly arrested Abbas on October 14, 2025, in Kaduna. He was detained for more than 50 hours before being released following intense legal efforts by News Point Nigeria’s lawyers.
More journalists and media organisations were pencilled down for the Gestapo-style abduction by the DSS on behalf of Pakistan, it was reliably gathered. Top among the journalists include the Editor of 21st Century Chronicle, Nuruddeen M. Abdallah and General Manager of Lumana Radio International, Yakubu Musa Fagge. The NAHCON chairman had allegedly planned to give them Abbas’ treatment, where they would be abducted by the DSS, brutalized and locked up.
Another top journalist pencilled down for arrest at that time was the News Point Nigeria’s editor-in-chief, Sadiq Abdullateef, for his refusal to back down despite many promises and threats before and after his editor’s arrest by Pakistan’s handlers. Other media organisations targeted include the Daily Nigerian, Apex News Exclusive, and Elanza News, among others, for simply daring to publish investigative reports about NAHCON.
Pakistan Forced To Resign
Contrary to reports that Pakistan resigned voluntarily for “family reasons,” this newspaper confirmed that he was forced to resign by the Presidency.
A week to his resignation, Pakistan had been visiting the Department of State Services (DSS) on a daily basis over some investigations bordering on corruption allegations, insiders said.
Stakeholders Call For Probe
Hajj stakeholders who spoke to this newspaper have called on the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the finances left by the third NAHCON board. They said billions of naira were left in the coffers of the Hajj commission for various projects, only to be squandered by the subsequent administrators.
The stakeholders said Mr Zikirullah Kunle Hassan, former PPMF Nura Yakasai, former Commissioner of Operations Abdullahi Magaji Hardawa, and that of PRISLS Suleiman Imonikhe Momoh should be investigated.
They said former NAHCON boss Abdullahi Pakistan, Jalal Arabi, PPMF Aliyu Abdulrazaq and Pakistan’s younger brother Siraju Salisu Usman, among others, should be probed for allegedly squandering billions left for the Nigerian Hajj Institute headquarters project, Hajj Development Levy funds, and NAHCON’s Saudi-based accounts, among others.