19 Nigerian Pilgrims Die In Mecca, 5 Lose Pregnancies

At least 19 Nigerian pilgrims have died in Saudi Arabia in the ongoing pilgrimage in the holy land.

One of those who died is a 75-year-old man who plunged to his death from a high-rise building in Mecca.

P.M.NEWS also gathered that five pregnant Nigerian women undergoing the hajj rites had miscarriage as a result of the rigours of the hajj operation.

Pregnant women have been barred from travelling to Saudi Arabia to take part in the hajj rites, but many of them dubiously scaled through the screening exercise to determine women’s pregnancy status as those carrying out the test might have had their palms greased.

Over 88, 000 Nigerians are currently in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to perform the Muslim spiritual exercise, according to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON.

Mr. Taiwo Olapade from Inspiration FM, who is currently in Saudi Arabia told P.M.NEWS on phone that the Nigerian embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed that 19 pilgrims had died since the hajj began two weeks ago, saying that some of the deceased pilgrims died from road accidents and natural death.

The Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ibraheem Minci, was quoted as saying on Wednesday during the pre-Arafa meeting, that some of the deaths were recorded from still birth.

While condoling with the families of the deceased, Minci prayed God to grant the deceased smooth passage to heaven.

He said the hajj exercise this year had been very successful and wished it would continue during the pilgrims’ movement to Muna, Arafat and back to the country.

Earlier, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa-aad Abubakar called for investigation into the fall of 75-year old man from a high rise building in Mecca.

He urged the pilgrims to maintain high level of discipline already established till the end of the exercise.

The Sultan also used the event, which coincided with his five years on the throne to call on pilgrims to pray for continued peace and unity in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, NAHCON, Alhaji Musa Bello has blamed logistics for failure of some Nigerian pilgrims to make it for the hajj exercise, saying that NAHCON arrived Saudi Arabia before the closure of the Jeddah Airport.

In another development, the Lagos State Hajj Tribunal has said that none of the state pilgrims has been sanctioned in Saudi Arabia.

Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Kafeel Dawodu who disclosed this in Makkah attributed the development to discipline and brotherhood exhibited by the pilgrims.

He said the existence of the tribunal had curbed act of lawlessness among the pilgrims, adding they often resolve disputes among themselves whenever it occurs.

Dawodu explained that the tribunal had to educate pilgrims regularly on the need to maintain peace among themselves and be good ambassadors of Nigeria at all times in the holy land.

According to him, complaints sheets were made available for the pilgrims to file their cases before the tribunal, noting that the committee quickly moves in when it is informed about any incident.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga