The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mecca

  • Fire guts hotel with over 480 Nigerian pilgrims in Mecca

    Fire guts hotel with over 480 Nigerian pilgrims in Mecca

    A fire has engulfed the Imaratus Sanan Hotel in the Sharamansur area of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. 

    The hotel was hosting over 480 Nigerian pilgrims participating in the 2025 Hajj through private tour operators. 

    The blaze, which broke out on Saturday, caused extensive damage to sections of the building. 

    Fortunately, no lives were lost, as the pilgrims were away in Mina at the time, observing the symbolic stoning ritual—an essential rite of the Hajj pilgrimage.

    In a statement by its spokesperson, Fatima Usara, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), confirmed the incident and expressed gratitude for the swift response of Saudi fire services and hotel staff, whose efforts helped contain the blaze and prevent any casualties.

    NAHCON Chairman Abdullahi Usman promptly visited the site to assess the extent of the damage.

    Visibly shaken by the destruction, Usman offered comfort to the affected pilgrims and praised the prompt intervention of local authorities.

    “Our priority is the safety and comfort of our pilgrims,” he said. “We have arranged immediate relocation to alternative accommodations and will provide every support within our capacity to minimise their distress.”

    Usman also commended the Saudi fire service and the hotel management for their quick response to the incident.

  • 315 Muslim pilgrims airlifted to Mecca in inaugural international flight at Imo Airport

    315 Muslim pilgrims airlifted to Mecca in inaugural international flight at Imo Airport

    History was made in Imo State on Friday  as the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, for the first time, hosted international flights from the airport, lifting initial three hundred and fifteen (315) intending pilgrims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

    This was disclosed by the Imo State governor’s Chief Press Secretary/ Special Adviser, Media Oguwike Nwachuku in a statement.

    According Nwachuku, the excitement that heralded the inaugural flight and formal flag off ceremony of the 2025 Hajj Operations reverberated everywhere in Imo State with encomia pouring in for Governor Hope Uzodimma from the high and mighty, particularly from Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, both of who took active part in the inaugural ceremony.

    Speaking during the flag off ceremony at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, the Vice President who commended Governor Uzodimma for exhibiting high sense of  patriotism and religious tolerance noting that the governor is a bridge builder.

    He equally described Governor Uzodimma as a man who “radiates hope for the nation,” and has an “overall interest of Ndigbo to heart.”

    Read Also: Joy as pilgrims able to touch ancient Mecca’s Black Stone

    His words: “Governor Uzodimma radiates hope of the nation. He is a bridge builder and has a wonderful destiny. The President has a defender, goalkeeper, attacker and goal scorer in Governor Uzodimma.”

    The Vice President who sought a resounding ovation from the crowd for Uzodimma noted that Ndigbo had always been at the centre of unity and development of the nation, as critical stakeholders.

    He reassured the Igbo of the love of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying that the “Igbos remain in the heart of the federal government.”

    He reminded the intending pilgrims of the spiritual essence of Hajj exercise and the need to abide by the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia while remaining ambassadors of Nigeria during the pilgrimage.

  • Medview Airlines air lifts 320 Lagos pilgrims to Mecca

    Medview Airline in the early hours of Thursday airlifted 320 Lagos State Pilgrims to Mecca from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos

    The pilgrims were ferried by the B777-200ER, recently acquired by Medview ! Which took off from the hajj/cargo terminal about 7am.

    As early as 5.30 am, the pilgrims started boarding the airline’s newly acquired Boeing 777-200 and were done with boarding formalities before 6:00am.

    The airline is scheduled to airlift no fewer than 2,001 passengers from Lagos alone and has a total of 10,000 pilgrims of the 95,0000 pilgrims nationwide to be air lifted.

    Apart from Lagos pilgrims the airline will also be airlifting pilgrims from Kaduna, Maiduguri, Ilorin as well as pilgrims from Guinea Bissau and Niger according to the airline management.

    Executive Director, Business Development, Alhaji Isiaq Na’allah who spoke to reporters just before the takeoff of the flight said that Med-view will be airlifting its pilgrims on seven trips.

    Na’allah said, “We give praise to the almighty Allah for giving us the strength to start our airlift, this is the first flight we are doing this year and we are hoping to do about 10,000 pilgrims. We are airlifting our pilgrims from Lagos, Kaduna, Maiduguri and Ilorin.”

    “Obviously, it’s challenging if you look at the number of passengers we use to carry in such a short period, it is challenging and so you need a very high capacity aircraft, this is why we have brought this aircraft, it’s a triple seven(777) it’s a modern aircraft.

    This flight carries 323 capacity right now the Lagos people that are going now we have 320 . From Lagos state we have about 2000 passengers and we are going to do about 7flights for them.”

    On consistency he added,”The major source of our consistency is our ability to provide the desired services for our passengers, we give them the comfort when they are going and when they are coming back and also when they are there as much as possible we make sure they enjoy their stay.”

  • House fire kills five migrants in Mecca

    House fire kills five migrants in Mecca

    A fire Wednesday erupted in a house inhabited by migrant workers in Saudi Arabia ’s western city of Mecca, killing five people, a civil defence official said.

    Five others were injured in the house in Mecca’s district of Mecca a spokesman for Mecca’s Civil Defence, Nayef al-Sherif, added in a media statement.

    The fire first hit abandoned furniture and wood in the courtyard of the house and extended to a room where a family from Africa was living, al-Sherif said.

    The blaze was later extinguished. Its cause was not immediately established.

    Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has a large community of foreign workers.

    NAN reports that the International Labour Organisation estimated that there are about nine million migrant workers as of April 2013.

    Read Also: Five Nigerian pilgrims die in Mecca

    (dpa/NAN)

  • NAHCON completes airlift of pilgrims from Mecca

    NAHCON completes airlift of pilgrims from Mecca

    The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has completed the airlift of Hajj pilgrims from the Holy city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, The Nation has learnt.

    Confirming this development Monday was the Chairman of NAHCON, Barrister Abdullah Mukhtar Muhammad.

    He spoke at a dinner in Jeddah.

    While commending Nigerian pilgrims, the NAHCON boss thanked Allah for the successful completion of the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims, which coincided with the nation’s 57th independence anniversary
    He therefore, extended his appreciation to the federal government, the Saudi authorities, the Saudi based service providers, Nigerians resident in Saudi, staff of the Commission and other officials for a successful delivery of services expected of them during the Hajj exercise.

    He also expressed happiness that no Nigerian pilgrim was reported or arrested for any criminal offence at the just concluded Hajj exercise.

    The Chairman said the last batch of Nigerian pilgrims who already at the King Abdulaziz Airport, Jeddah in preparation to board the last flight back to Nigeria Monday.

    He said preparation for the next Hajj exercise should be considered by all to have started.
    He also congratulated all Nigerians for Nigeria’s independence anniversary.

    In his closing remarks, the Nigerian Consul General in Jeddah, Ambassador Muhammad Sani Yunus expressed satisfaction with the conduct of Nigerian pilgrims who became worthy ambassadors of the country in the holy land just as he applauded the commitment and sacrifices of NAHCON in facilitating a hitch-free Hajj exercise.

  • Hajj: 400,000 illegal pilgrims banned from entering Mecca

    Hajj: 400,000 illegal pilgrims banned from entering Mecca

    Saudi Arabia has banned more than 400,000 illegal pilgrims from entering Mecca for not having Hajj permits, Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

    This was highlighted by the interior ministry during a news conference on Hajj security plans that were designed to accommodate more than two million pilgrims expected to perform Hajj 2017.

    Saudi Arabia has taken serious steps, including fine and jail terms against violators to ensure smooth Hajj operation for the pilgrims.

    The ministry also announced that until on Tuesday 1.7 million foreign pilgrims and around 200,000 domestic pilgrims had arrived in Mecca.

    More than 100,000 members of the Saudi security forces will participate in this year Hajj 2017 this week.

    Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman, Mansour Turki, said that the security services had dismantled a number of militant cells in Mecca and Medina over the past few years.

    Maj.-Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, a security spokesman from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Interior, said that strict measures were in place at the entrances to Mecca, Medina and other holy sites as well as airports and seaports.

    “So, we do not overlook the reality of such potential threats and we take all necessary preventative measures.’’

    Saudi security guards monitor screens at the national centre for security operations in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 29, 2017.

    Turki said the security forces had taken all necessary measures to prevent a stampede like the one that killed hundreds of pilgrims in 2015, without providing details.

    But he also urged pilgrims to abide by their assigned schedule for performing the sacred rituals.

    “Each group must abide by the specified paths assigned to each while throwing the jamarat,” he said, referring to one of the critical stages of Hajj, when pilgrims conduct the ritual stoning.

  • Fires breaks out in Hotel in Mecca, says civil defence

    Fires breaks out in Hotel in Mecca, says civil defence

    A fire broke out in a hotel in the Saudi city of Mecca, which alarmed the annual hajj pilgrimage, the civil defence service said on Monday.

    A hotel in the Saudi city of Mecca, where two million Muslims will perform the annual hajj pilgrimage, was evacuated Monday after a fire broke out, the civil defence service said.

    Civil defence spokesman Nayef al-Sharif said no casualties were reported in the fire, which was sparked by a faulty air conditioning unit on the eighth floor of a hotel in the Azaziyah district of Mecca.

    Sharif said all 600 residents, most of whom had come from Turkey and Yemen for the hajj pilgrimage, were evacuated and have since returned to the hotel.

  • Hajj: Obaseki charges Edo Pilgrims to be good ambassadors

    Hajj: Obaseki charges Edo Pilgrims to be good ambassadors

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday charged the state delegation to the 2017 Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to be good ambassadors of the state.

    Obaseki who gave the charge during a visit to the 260 intending pilgrims at the Hajj Camp on Dumez Road, Benin City, said: “The exercise you are about to embark on is a holy one, and one of the pillars of the Islamic religion. Don’t joke with it. You are courageous, upright, honest citizens of the state and I know you will demonstrate all these qualities in the ‘Holy Land’.”

    He maintained that he was ready to partner with people that gather in the name of God because of what God has done in his life and added that his presence at the Hajj Camp was to make sure the pilgrims were comfortable and bid them farewell to the ‘Holy Land’.

    Obaseki however disclosed that the late inauguration of the State Muslim Welfare Board was due to the efforts of some people to politicise the selection of the members.

    He stressed that “the work of God is not about politics, as every politician wants to be on the State Muslim Welfare Board. I wonder if the board is for politics or the work of God. If Allah calls you to serve him, serve him with a true heart and a sincere mind, not to manipulate a religious process. The interference in the process delayed the setting up of the Board.” he concluded.

    The Chairman of the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Ibrahim Oyarekhua, said the governor’s visit to the intending pilgrims at the Hajj Camp ahead of their departure, was the first of its kind and a demonstration of the governor’s humility.

    He appealed to the governor to provide the board with an official vehicle and a befitting Hajj Camp at the board’s office in the state capital.

  • Lagos pilgrims leave Medina for Mecca

    Lagos pilgrims leave Medina for Mecca

    Lagos State Pilgrims will today leave the city of Medina to Mecca in preparation for the Hajj rites.

    Commissioner for Home Affairs and Amirul Hajj, Dr Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, said this yesterday in a statement by his Media Assistant, Olalekan Murisiku.

    According to Dr Abdullateef, the pilgrims numbering 460 were the first batch of pilgrims airlifted to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last Sunday.

    He said: “Every pilgrim is expected to be in Medina for eight days before going to Mecca. The movement from Medina to Mecca is also going to be in batches for convenience.

    “The pilgrims have dropped their main luggage contained in four trucks, for onward movement to Mecca while human transportation scheduled for tomorrow (today).”

    The Amirul Hajj noted that the short stay in Medina had provided the pilgrims the opportunity to perform numerous spiritual activities such as praying, including Jumat Service at Masjid Nabawi (Prophet Mosque), Visit to the Prophet’s grave and that of his Caliphs (Abubakar and Umar).

    They have also visited historic places such as Masjid Quba (where each Solaat offered is equivalent to lesser Hajj), Masjid Qiblataen (the Mosque with two Prayer directions), Mount Hud among other notable sites.

    The pilgrims, he said, will also have the opportunity to learn Arabic and the Quran in Saudi Arabia.

    “We have assigned all the clerics that will be travelling with us the responsibility of teaching their pilgrims how to read the Quran while in hajj.  We intend to organise a graduation party within the few days they are spending in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

    He appealed to the pilgrims not to hold items on behalf of any other pilgrim, reminding them that the punishment for drug trafficking in the Middle East is death.

    He said: “Drugs could be hidden in onions, dry red chilies, drink cans and other unsuspecting items.

    “This year we have improved our method of allocating rooms to pilgrims, the usual tension of where will I stay, has been settled. Pilgrims have been given the opportunity to select who they intend to live with right from Nigeria and their room numbers have been distributed to them right from Nigeria, so, no pilgrim will take off from Nigeria without knowing his or her room number in Saudi Arabia. This is the first time we are doing that to ensure the ease of performing hajj is enhanced. For the very first time, they know their room number and the names of the people who will occupy the room are with them and also pasted on the door.”

  • NAHCON moves 9,300 pilgrims to Mecca

    NAHCON moves 9,300 pilgrims to Mecca

    No fewer than 9,347 of the 26,000 Nigerian pilgrims now in Saudi Arabia for hajj have been moved from Madinah to Mecca.

    The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said the 26,000 pilgrims were earlier transported to Madinah.

    The Deputy Coordinator in Charge of Madina Operations of NAHCON, Malam Ahmad Maigari, said in a statement that the pilgrims were taken to Medinah first to observe the tradition of spending at least eight days observing obligatory prayers in the Prophets Holy Mosque in Madinah and visiting some Islamic holy sites.

    “So far, both the transportation of intending pilgrims from Nigeria to Madinah and their movement to Mecca from Madinah is going on smoothly without any hitch.

    “We would have over 10,000 pilgrims in Mecca by the end of this weekend and all of them have settled in their various accommodations,” he said.

    According to him, over 26,950 pilgrims have been transported to Madinah and Jeddah in 26 flights since the inauguration of the 2017 Hajj exercise through the approved Max Air, Fly Nas and Medview Airlines.

    He added that more flights are expected into both Jeddah and Madinah Airports.

    The Head of Media Team for 2017 Hajj, Malam Adamu Abdullahi, said NAHCON officials are enjoying mutual relations with pilgrims which had ensured smooth operations so far.

    He, however, asked pilgrims to notify Hajj officials of any concern and challenge for adequate and immediate response.