Skip to main content

Nigeria: Hajj 2018 - Saudi Arabia Moves to Stop Nigerian Pilgrims

 
By Sani Tukur
Saudi Arabian authorities are threatening to block Nigerian pilgrims from attending this year's Hajj exercise.
Nigeria has one of the largest contingents in the annual religious exercise with about 95,000 pilgrims.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Monday said Saudi Arabia is taking the decision because of reports of Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria.
Outbreak of Lassa fever has been reported in a number of states.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 1081 suspected cases and 90 deaths have been reported from 18 states (Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekite, Federal Capital Territory, Gombe, Imo, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, and Taraba) between January 1 through February 25 this year.

During the period, 317 cases have been classified as confirmed and eight as probable, including 72 deaths.
WHO however, said in a report Sunday that there is a steady decline in Lassa fever cases and deaths from 70 by February 18 to five by April 15.
The Guardian on Monday quoted WHO, as saying that "... From the beginning of the outbreak in January 1, 2018 to the week ending February 18, 2018, the number of weekly reported Lassa fever cases increased from 10 to 70.
"From late-February to early March, there has been a downward trend in the weekly reported number of Lassa fever cases with less than 20 cases reported each week in March and only five new cases reported in the week ending April 15, 2018."
One of the spokespersons of NAHCON, Mousa Ubandawaki, who confirmed the moves by Saudi Arabia, informed PREMIUM TIMES that Nigerian authorities are not taking the threat lightly.
"There will be an expanded meeting of all officials from the 36 states, the Commission and officials of the Federal Government to discuss the matter tomorrow," Mr Ubandawaki said.
The NAHCON official said the meeting will hold at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Nigeria


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh: Dera Sacha Sauda spiritual leader found guilty of raping female followers

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh at a news conference to launch the score for his film 'MSG-2 The Messenger' in Mumbai  AFP/Getty Images A popular Indian actor and spiritual leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, has been convicted of raping his followers following a high profile trial. Singh was found guilty of raping two women  in a case dating back to 2002  at the headquarters of his Dera Sacha Sauda group in the town of Sirsa. The bearded guru, who had denied the charges, had arrived for the hearing with a 100-vehicle convoy that left his ashram early on Friday.  Some 15,000 police and soldiers were deployed in Panchkula, the town where his trial took place, for fear of violence. Tens of thousands of his devotees had travelled there to protest his innocence, according to reports, while internet and phone services were throttled in a bid to forestall unrest. In a televised appeal, Singh asked his supporters not to resort to violence, but some said they would not t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) threatens to attack Italian vessels in Libyan waters unlikely to materialise, but risks support mission

   the Italian parliament approved legislation allowing Italian military vessels to patrol Libyan waters in order to stem the flow of migrants entering Italy. This is the latest in a series of initiatives and proposals by the Italian government to block the Mediterranean migrant route, including the recent introduction of a code of conduct curtailing the flexibility of aid groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate rescue vessels in the Mediterranean. In response to the latest measure to deploy the Italian navy, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) – a militia associated with the Tobruk-based government in eastern Libya – warned that any non-commercial vessel entering Libyan waters without prior authorisation would be attacked.
Post a Comment
Read more

Somali refugee arrested over pirate attack on Italian oil tanker in 2011

The ransom was reportedly paid to al-Shabaab, a Somali terrorist gang   CREDIT:  AFP Italian police have arrested a 24-year-old Somali asylum seeker on charges of being one of a gang of jihadist pirates who seized an Italian oil tanker in the Persian Gulf in 2011.   The tanker and its crew were held hostage for 10 months until a reported $11 million ransom was paid. Mohammed Farah was caught by Carabinieri special force police officers after he applied for asylum as a refugee in the Sicilian town of Caltanissetta, police said. Officers used fingerprint records to identify him as one of 50 alleged pirates  who stormed the Savina Caylyn tanker  on February 8, 2011, using rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. The ransom was reportedly paid to  al-Shabaab, a Somali terrorist gang , after the crew of five Italians and 17 Indians were tortured and mistreated during their 10-month ordeal. Police found fingerprints on the tanker after its...
Post a Comment
Read more