Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, has reimbursed pilgrims from the state who fell victim to a foreign currency scam in Saudi Arabia.

This was disclosed by the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board on Sunday.

A statement e-signed by the Executive Secretary of the board, Alhaji Abdulsalam Abdulkadir, confirmed that an investigation had commenced into “the recent incident involving some of our pilgrims who were reportedly defrauded of their Basic Travel Allowance (BTA).

“Every pilgrim was given their $500 BTA in five $100 bills in the public space and under the supervision of officials of the Directorate of State Security, who ensured that the currency was original.

“Each pilgrim signed for the collection of their BTA after counting it in the presence of pilgrims’ board officials and the DSS.”

The board, responding to viral videos from Saudi Arabia, said preliminary findings indicated the fraud likely occurred after arrival in Medina.

“Upon seeing the viral video in which some of our pilgrims said they had received five one-dollar bills instead of the five one-hundred-dollar notes, our preliminary findings suggest that these incidents likely occurred after the pilgrims had arrived in Medina, Saudi Arabia,” the board said.

“In several cases, the affected individuals—mostly elderly and not familiar with foreign currencies—had sought help from strangers to convert their funds into Saudi Riyals.

“These unscrupulous individuals apparently took advantage of their vulnerability by swapping $100 bills with $1 bills under the guise of assisting them with currency exchange,” it added.

The board announced the intervention of the governor to mitigate the impact of the scam on the pilgrims.

“In response to this unfortunate development, His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has graciously provided for each of the affected pilgrims to be given $500 to offset the losses they incurred.

“We ask Allaah to reward His Excellency’s swift and compassionate intervention,” the statement added.

The board also highlighted the governor’s earlier support visit to pilgrims in Mecca, during which he extended financial assistance to all pilgrims for their local expenses.

“Similarly, the governor had visited the Kwara pilgrims’ hotel in Mecca during which he extended financial support to all pilgrims to support their local expenses.

“The board and all pilgrims express our gratitude for this kind gesture,” the statement added.

In the wake of similar fraudulent incidents among pilgrims from other states, the board expressed support for the Central Bank of Nigeria’s proposed reform to disburse BTA through preloaded debit cards instead of physical cash.

“This will enhance transparency, reduce the risk of theft or fraud, and ensure that all pilgrims—especially the elderly—can manage their funds more securely,” the board stated. (PUNCH)