Veteran journalist Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf has been confirmed dead in Thursday’s deadly stampede at the Jamarat Bridge outside Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Over 700 pilgrims died in the incident, while another 863 were injured as the pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj’s last major rite.
It is the deadliest incident to occur during the Hajj in 25 years. About two million people are performing Hajj this year including 70,000 Nigerians.
One of Nigeria’s respected Islamic intellectuals, Prof. Tijani El-Miskin, is also among the Nigerian casualties.
El-Miskin was a professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies. He was among the 11 candidates who last year vied for appointment as University of Maiduguri Vice Chancellor.
He was Chairman of Borno State Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Professor of Political Science at Babcock University,Ilisan, Ogun State, Jibrin Ibrahim in a facebook tribute to Bilikisu said ” Very sad to receive news of the death of Bilkisu Yusuf today. Great humanist, advocate, journalist, networker and above all devoted to God” .
Tag: Mecca
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Veteran journalist Bilikisu dies in hajj stampede
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Mecca accident: Families of Nigerian victims to get N70m each
Families of the six Nigerian pilgrims who died in the last Friday crane collapse at the Makkah grand Mosque are to get N70 million each.
Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud who disclosed this on Tuesday has also ordered that top officials of the Saudi Binladin Group be banned from traveling outside the kingdom after the construction company was partially blamed for Friday’s deadly crane crash in Makkah.
Saudi authority said families of each of the 111 people who lost their lives in the accident be paid compensation of (SR1,000,000) one million Saudi Riyals.
One Saudi Riyal is presently equivalent to 70 Nigerian Naira.
According to Saudi local newspaper, Arab News, ‘King Salman ordered the payment of the following to the families of the victims: SR1,000,000 to the family of each person killed in this accident; SR1,000,000 to each injured whose injury resulted in permanent disability; SR500,000 to each of the other injured.”
According to the report, such payment would not deprive the families of the deceased as well as the injured from the right to claim for private right before the competent judicial authorities.
[ad id=”403656″]”The king also issued directives to host two family members of the deceased as the king’s guests to perform Hajj next year.
“The injured who cannot perform Haj this year can perform Hajj next year as the king’s guests. The families of the injured who stay in hospitals for treatment shall be granted visit visas to take care of the injured during the remaining period of Hajj and return back to their country,” the royal court said.
A royal court announcement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the king is reviewing the report of the Accident Investigation Committee, which suggested negligence on the part of the Saudi Binladin Group, but concluded that it found an “absence of criminal suspicion.”
The report said “the main reason for the accident is the strong winds while the crane was in a wrong position.”
Some 111 people were killed and 331 injured when the giant crane being used in the expansion project at the Grand Mosque toppled and crashed into a portion of the mataf (circumambulation area) around the holy Kaaba on Sept. 11.
Pending completion of the investigation, all members of the Board of Directors of Binladin Group, as well as Bakr bin Mohammed bin Ladin and senior executives in the group and others connected with the project are banned from leaving the kingdom, said the royal court order. -
The Mecca tragedy
SIR: September 11 is a day in which the world remembers the horrific attack on the World Trade Centre and how people lost their loved ones in this mind blowing and senseless attack.
Fourteen years after on the anniversary of 9/11, analysts, political commentators or enthusiast, conspiracy theorists and deep thinkers would question what happened on Friday, September 11, 14 years after the World Trade Centre which Bin Laden was accused of being the mastermind.
On the fateful day, a crane fell on Muslims who were performing Tawaf, a religious act of worship in Islam. Over a hundred people died in that incident and the crane is said to be owned by the Bin Laden construction company which is said to be the second biggest construction company in the world.
Is it a coincidence that a crane owned by the Bin Laden Family fell and killed people in the holiest of places on the anniversary of the 9/11 attack?
Analysts, political commentators or enthusiasts, conspiracy theory thinkers and deep thinkers will analyse and speculate about this incident for years.
May God grant the families who lost loved ones the strength to bear the loss. My hope is for this world to experience peace. Tragedies and various violent acts only bring tears.
- FolawiyoOlajoku
Osogbo, Osun.
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Expansion work resumes at Mecca’s crane crash site
Despite last Friday’s crane crash which killed 107 persons and injured many others, construction work continued at the Makkah ground Mosque on Sunday.
Thousands of worshippers were at the Mosque on Sunday. -
Crane collapse: Buhari seeks safety of Nigerian pilgrims
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to ensure the security and well-being of Nigerian pilgrims.
He gave the directive in a statement to commiserate with King Salman, the people of Saudi Arabia and the worldwide Islamic community over the tragic loss of lives in
Friday’s crane collapse at the Grand Mosque of Mecca in which not less that 107 persons died.
As details of the deaths and injuries sustained in the unfortunate incident unfolds, President Buhari urged the officials to closely monitor developments and take necessary action.
He urged Nigerians to pray for the continued safety of their compatriots who are currently in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj.
According to the a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Sehu, Buhari also prayed that Almighty Allah will receive the souls of those killed in the incident and grant the injured speedy recovery.
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Saudi probes deadly crane fall
Saudi Arabia has started an investigation into why a crane collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, killing at least 107 people.
The huge red crane crashed into a part of the Grand Mosque as it was filled with worshippers, the BBC reports.
Officials said strong winds and heavy rains caused the crane to fall.
The BBC says there have previously been concerns about safety records on Saudi construction sites.
The Grand Mosque, known as the Masjid al-Haram, is the largest mosque in the world and surrounds Islam’s holiest place, the Kaaba.
At least 230 people were injured in the incident. It is unclear how many people were hurt by the collapse or the stampede that followed it.
The incident happened at 17:23 local time (14:23 GMT) on Friday.
Videos posted online showed the moment the structure collapsed, with a loud crash followed by panic and shouting. Bodies and blood could be seen on the floor of the mosque.
The head of Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency, Lt Sulayman Bin-Abdullah al-Amr, said an investigation was being carried out to assess the damage, and the “extent of the safety of these sites.”
Essam al-Ghalib, a Jeddah-based journalist, said the crane fell through the outer ring of the Grand Mosque and punctured through the roof sending down tonnes of cement and debris onto people either praying or walking through.
Mecca is currently preparing for the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage. Up to two million people are expected to arrive in the Saudi city from all over the world later this month.
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87 dead in Mecca crane collapse
The Saudi Arabian government has confirmed 87 people dead after a crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
The incident occurred around 6:00pm following the impact of the thunder storm on one of the cranes being used in the expansion of the Holy Mosque while some worshippers were praying.
As at the time of filing this report, it was not clear whether Nigerians on Holy pilgrimage were among the victims of the accident.
When our Correspondent visited the Mosque after Magrib prayer around 7:00 pm, the scene of the incident had been condoned-off.
An eyewitness Abdullahi Mahmuda told The Nation that, “I was in the Mosque doing (tawaf) circumbulation of the Holy Kaaba. When it started raining I stopped and sat here. All of a sudden, there was a strong thunder and it forced a crane on the people.
“Seriously a lot of people, both white and black were killed in the incident, but I cannot say precisely the number.
“Most of the people killed were those doing ‘tawaf’ on the upper walk ways. Many people were also injured.” he said. -
Joy as Jigawa airport takes its maiden flight to Mecca
For the people of Jigawa State, the flag-off of this year’s Hajj airlift to Saudi Arabia from the Dutse International Airport at Fanisau Village recently was an opportunity to show to the entire country that the state is indeed The New World. As a result, they turned out en masse from the 27 local government areas very early to witness the event, which also served as the official inauguration of the airport.
To add colour to the ceremony, they came with their traditional drums singing and dancing. The retinues of the Shehu of Borno and the Emirs of Kano, Hadejia, Suleja, Ringim, Funai, Daura, Kazaure, Gumel, Kaltungo, Maradun and the Oba of Lagos, who is also this year’s National Amirul Hajj, added sounds and lyrics from their trumpets and paraphernalia of offices. In essence, the roads leading to the airport were, for many hours, witnessed heavy gridlock from both human and vehicular movements.
However, among the early birds at the event was a slim Octogenarian, who wore white guinea brocade and sat at the back of the pavilion, meant for eminent personalities. In the midst of siren-blowing vehicles, he gazed intermittently at the surrounding of the airport, smiling at every objects of his attraction.
Investigation revealed that the elderly man was the Chairman of Committee for the Creation of Jigawa State, Mallam Inuwa Dutse. Moving closer to him, his eyes looked misty with joy and fulfilment. With slow and steady voice, he returned the greetings of two reporters who went to him to request for an interview, which he instantly granted.
Responding to a question on how he felt, he said: “I am very happy to attend the 2014 Hajj airlift’s flag-off and the inauguration of this airport in Dutse, which was the least developed area in the former Kano State. I am very, very happy to be alive to witness this occasion.
“When Jigawa State was created, there was very little development. But with the coming of Sule Lamido, he has done the best to raise the level of development in Jigawa State to one of the best in Nigeria. I am very pleased and very glad.
“We the people of Jigawa State support the governor for what he is doing. He has justified our agitation for the creation of more states and, especially Jigawa State. His performance will also serve as justification for those agitating for more states.”
Mallam Dutse vividly conveyed the feelings of the people and dignitaries, as the event turned out to be. The event was not the first they would be attending. They had witnessed former heads of state and top serving politicians coming to inaugurate one project or the other during Lamido’s over seven years tenure.
The projects included the inauguration of the state secretariat, NYSC Orientation Camp, High Court complex, roads network, College of Nursing and Midwifery as well as a civic centre and rally ground -Aminu Kano Triangle.
The residents also listed the inauguration of the state television and radio stations, local government secretariats, second nationally-recognised state-owned School for the Gifted, state university, residences and offices for Deputy Governor, Speaker and Deputy Speaker, local government chairmen, Chief Judge and Grand Khadi, housing estate for civil servants, Emirs’ lodges among other landmark projects.
And from the remarks of dignitaries who spoke at the carnival-like ceremony, which could also have been mistaken for a political rally or campaign, the governor had delivered again.
Those who addressed the intending pilgrims and the guests were the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo who represented President Goodluck Jonathan; Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum and Niger State Governor Aliyu Babangida; Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad the 111; the 2014 Amirul -Hajj and Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Aremu Akiolu, Chairman of Jigawa Council of Chiefs and Emir of Hadeija, Ahaji Adamu Abubakar Maje, Executive Chairman of National Hajj Commission, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello.
Sambo, in his address, expressed the apology of President Jonathan for his inability to be at the event. He asked the 530 pilgrims to be better ambassadors of the country, imbibe the orientations given to them by the country’s agencies and to adhere to Saudi Arabia laws.
He said: “I believe all pilgrims are aware of the challenges our country is experiencing. These challenges require not only dedication of the leadership but also prayers from every pilgrim. We should therefore be persistent in our prayers for peace, progress and prosperity of our beloved country.”
The President reminded the pilgrims of their spiritual obligations, saying as they perform the Hajj pilgrimage, they must dedicate themselves to the spiritual revival of their souls to achieve “good life on earth and aspire for eternal bliss in the hereafter.
He prayed for their safe airlift and successful hajj.
Jonathan, who praised the improvement in airlifting of pilgrims to the Holy Land where Nigeria had been able to meet her deadline, said: “I am glad to note that the days when Nigeria requested for extension of time from Saudi Arabia because of our inability to meet the airlift deadline for the closure of the King Abdulazeez International Airport are gone for good.”
He further praised the Nigeria Hajj Commission for their improved performance in being able to surmount the numerous challenges they were confronted with.
“We note the improvement in performance of Hajj operations in Nigeria. I urge the leadership of the Hajj Commission to see this improvement as a motivation to propel it to greater height so that Hajj operations in Nigeria will toe the line of international best practice,” he said.
He added that the administration has always supported the welfare of all Muslims through the Hajj Commission by assisting the pilgrims with consular, medical and exchange support services.
“While government will continue to meet these primary and essential needs, it is important that the commission works towards being more self-sustaining and self-financing,” he said.
The President assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was doing everything possible to contain the spread of the Ebola virus disease and has promised to continue supporting all the states of the federation.
He stated that the government has, in addition to the N200 million support funds to Lagos State, earmarked the sum of N1.9 billion as support for states to contain the spread of the virus. He added that this support has also been extended to some neigbouring countries to contain the spread of the disease.
To the Sultan of Sokoto and Permanent National Amirul Hajj, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar 111, the pilgrims must adhere strictly to the rules and regulations governing the performance of hajj and to present themselves to all necessary medical tests to be carried out on them.
The Sultan, who also called for special prayers by the pilgrims to defeat all the evils in the country, urged all Nigerians to join hands in bringing to an end the security challenges the country is experiencing.
He praised the Federal Government’s efforts in containing the spread of the dreaded Ebola virus in the country, which he said has made this year’s hajj possible.
Oba Osuolale urged the pilgrims to be of good manners and not to engage themselves in any act capable of embarrassing the country.
The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission praised Jigawa State for the preparation it put in place for the Hajj airlift.
He said there would be 12 designated departure centres, including four new ones in Enugu, Bauchi, Kebbi and Dutse for the airlift.
He hailed the government for the support it extended to the commission.
Babangida Aliyu praised Lamido as the most experienced among other governors in the North. Urging him to prepare for higher services, the Niger State governor said he came to know what warranted the governor’s outburst over the nomination of Jonathan by the Northeast chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He promised that the issues that necessitated Lamido’s remarks would be resolved.
Those issues, he said, included the settlement of the N13 billion spent on the Dutse airport, extension of pipe-borne water from Auyo to Dutse and construction of Federal roads, among others.
Surprisingly and as if he was overwhelmed by the mammoth gathering and praises heaped on him, Lamido’s remarks were short. He thanked the hajj commission for the choice of Dutse for the flag-off of the hajj operation.
The pilgrims were airlifted by Max Air. The maiden flight departed at 5.38p.m.
Meanwhile, Jonathan did the groundbreaking ceremony of the airport project on October 5, 2012. With its inauguration, the airport according to the Sultan, “is one of the best if not the best in this part of the world.” Other eminent personalities also described it as the fastest airport project ever executed by any government. It was built on five kilometres radius piece of land and situated at 10. 4 kilometres distance northwest from Dutse main town. It has 3000 by 60 metres runway. It is equipped with fire-fighting trucks, land body scan machines, high resolutions close circuit television cameras (CCTV) , covering in and out of the fenced the airport facilities. It is also equipped with air navigation equipment, Doppler, the voice communication and control system (VCCS) and the Conventional Very High frequency omnidirectional Radio Range (CVOR) in the seven- storey control tower to enable communication from all direction with aircraft at the distance of 180 nautical miles from the airport.
An engineer at the airport said: “The CVOR is the latest best air navigational equipment in the world manufactured by Thales. The landing aid instruments guides the aircraft to the centre of the tarmac, the Glide Slope that provides glide angle, the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and non-Directional Beacon were installed to give pilots and passengers better view when landing and taking off.”
Before the hajj operation, Overland Airways began thrice weekly flights (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) operation from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to Dutse on Monday, July 14 this year.
After the hajj flag-off, a resident of Dutse said: “Who knows how many projects of this standard Lamido will inaugurate again before he lives office?”