State of denial: “Saudi Arabia never deported any Nigerian pilgrim” – Hajj commission changes position

Officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria
(NAHCON) are trying hard to put a spin on the
deportation of some female Muslim pilgrims from
Saudi Arabia last week by the Saudi Arabian
government. They are now describing the reports
as untrue.
The new explanation from the Hajj commission is
that the sudden return of the female pilgrims was
at the instance of Nigerian government,which
wanted to rectify certain anomalies. Obviously, this
claim is hard to believe, considering that the
spokesman of the Hajj commission, Mallam Uba
Mana had said last week that they were “awaiting
a response from the King of Saudi Arabia so that a
discussion can be opened between the two
parties.”
Communicating the new position of the
commission in a press briefing in Abuja on
Saturday, the chairman of NAHCON, Mallam
Mohammed Musa Bello, said that the issue of a
male companion for female pilgrims to the
kingdom is a fundamental aspect of the hajj
exercise which Nigeria cannot afford to violate.
This also is a clear contradiction from the
commission’s earlier position which claimed that
there was an existing agreement between Nigerian
and Saudi Arabian authorities which exempts
female Nigerian pilgrims from that law.
Mallam Bello denied the news that the Federal
Government delegation to Saudi Arabia was
denied visa to the kingdom noting that the issue
of the departure of the delegation has to do with
the disparity in timing between the two countries.
He had good news for intending pilgrims;
disclosing that the suspended airlifting operation
of the pilgrims would resume as soon as all the
challenges that led to the problem are addressed.
Already, eight states with 32 flight schedules are
on standby to commence operation when the
challenges are sorted out.
He promised that all the pilgrims would be airlifted
before the October 20 closing date of the King
Abdulazeez International Airport Jeddah and
Madinah airport.