Sierra Leone's government on Wednesday banned all private agents from booking Muslims on the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in October amid fears over fraud.
The government said it was "concerned about the unsatisfactory management of Hajj affairs over the years which has culminated in the unnecessary suffering of pilgrims in the Holy Land while performing their spiritual duties."
In a statement the government said all Hajj affairs would be managed by the social ministry and four-person National Hajj Coordinating Committee set up by the employment minister.
In the past, many Sierra Leoneans have become victims of scams in which rogue agents disappeared with their money, said muslim cleric Alhaji Baimba Abdulai.
"They took our money, gave us fictitious receipts and then closed shop and vanished into thin air," Abdulai said, recalling an incident in 2008 when over 100 pilgrims were left stranded at the country's international airport.
Imam Bai Sheka Sesay of the Muslim United Association said: "Even those who were lucky to make the trip to Mecca sometimes find themselves faced with accommodation and food problems..."
Government said this years Hajj would cost 3,700 US dollars each for the envisaged 497 pilgrims which includes transportation, board and lodging and medical care.
A senior member of the Islamic Federation, Imam Sheku Bockari complained that some pilgrims were already busy making their own plans for the Hajj "when the announcement hit us like a bolt. We have not been treated fairly."
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
