9th December, 2010
Some clerics in the Lagos State contingent to this year’s hajj in Saudi Arabia have formed a syndicate to extort money from Lagos pilgrims who are stranded in the Holy land.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the situation has gone out of hand that the Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Alhaji Babatunde Balogun, described it as unfair and embarrassing.
A source still in the Holy land told our reporter that the group, comprising mostly alfas and civil servants have cajoled over 200 innocent pilgrims into paying SR7 (Seven Saudi Arabia Riyals) equivalent to Nigeria’s N280 for alleged Zyara (sightseeing) at Medina.
Though, some pilgrims like the traditional ruler of Oworonshoki in Kosofe Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Oba Bashir Olohuntoyin condemned the situation, the alleged staff stood their ground, insisting that the state government did not make any provision for the obligatory Zyara in Medina.
According to the monarch, “It is not proper because the state government has made adequate provision for all pilgrims to perform their hajj without paying any unnecessary money, especially now that most pilgrims have spent all their money.
“Ordinarily, I would have loved to pay the money requested by these people for all the pilgrims but when I realised that the state government and the commissioner for home affairs and culture who is also the Amir-Ul-Hajj for the state were not aware and in support of it.â€
Reacting to the situation, Balogun asked: “Which money and who asked for that? Nobody is directed to collect money from any pilgrim, all the ulamas we brought here have been sufficiently taken care of. No money should be demanded from any pilgrim.â€
—Kazeem Ugbodaga
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