Ahead of Monday closure of Saudi Arabia boarders for pilgrims, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Sunday said that it has successfully completed transportation of all Nigeria pilgrims.
The Commission’s spokesperson, Malam Uba Mana in a telephone interview from Jeddah Saudi Arabia on Sunday night said that the last batch of 1,000 pilgrims already departed from both Lagos and Kaduna centres.
He said that by midnight of Sunday, all the 76,000 pilgrims from Nigeria, which include 66,000 from various pilgrims boards and 10,000 from private operators, would have been transported safely to Saudi Arabia for 2014 Hajj exercise.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that it will close all its boarders by midnight of Sept. 29, and declared that Arafat will hold on Friday Oct. 3.
Mana said all the pilgrims are in high spirit and getting ready for the Hajj rites with the movement to Muna in preparation for Arafat on Friday.
He said so far, there has never been any case of casualty or death of any Nigerian pilgrim as they are in good state of health.
The NAHCON image maker said in this year arrangement, over 70 per cent of the pilgrims were transported directly from Nigeria to Madinah as against the previous practice of taking the pilgrims to Jeddah.
It will be recalled that this year’s transportation of pilgrims which commenced on Sept. 6, in Dutse International Airport ended in Kaduna on Sunday Sept. 29, with a total of 144 airlifting.
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