 |
Mallam Adamu Mu’azu
|
Several prominent
Nigerians including the immediate past National Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Mallam Adamu Mu’azu,f ormer Special Adviser on National
Assembly, Alhaji Kashim Imam and former National Chairman of the defunct
CPC,Senator Rufai Hanga, narrowly escaped death in the Thursday tragedy in
Mecca. Multiple
eyewitnesses at the scene said Mu’azu, Imam and Hanga had joined millions of
other pilgrims in stoning the devil when the stampede started.
Other
prominent Nigerians close to the scene were the PDP Youth Leader Abdullahi
Maibarisa, Deputy Comptroller General (Operations) of the Nigerian Immigration
Service Mr.Muhammad Babandede, and a former member of the House of
Representatives.
The
Nation report continues:
The
hajj rituals continued yesterday although with security beefed up across the
various points in Mecca.
Alhaji
Umar Farouk a Nigerian pilgrim from Zaria, Kaduna state said by SMS that “in
spite of the tragedy, pilgrims are determined to perform their hajj duties.”
Another
Nigerian pilgrim,Alhaji Abdullahi from Kano asked Saudi Arabia to stop what he
called long-existing discriminatory practices during hajj.
“The
designation of pilgrims into categories of Non Arabs, Africans and others
ensures discriminatory treatments and arrangements,” he said.
According
to him pilgrims from US, UK, Canada and European countries are always treated
with courtesy whereas every Muslim, irrespective of his colour, should enjoy
equal treatment.
King
Salman has ordered a comprehensive review of arrangements for the annual hajj
pilgrimage that sometimes involve some three million pilgrims.
The
Saudi authorities are in the process of reaching being expected to reach the
Nigerian and other countries’ officials anytime from now, with the list of the
victims according to nationalities.
 |
Image source: The Nation
|
Eight Die In Cross River Auto Crash
The
Nation report that no fewer than eight persons were killed yesterday in a fatal
auto crash along the Okurikang axis of the Calabar-Itu highway in Cross River
State. Eye witnesses said the accident involved a truck and four other
vehicles. The accident, which occurred at about 10.30am, brings to 43 the
number of lives that have been lost on the federal highway in the past eight
weeks.
The
eye witness said the driver of the truck, who was carrying scraps and heading
to Aba, lost control and rammed into four other cars, killing some of the
occupants.
The
sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) in Cross River State,
Mr. Ikechukwu Igwe, confirmed the incident, saying, “five vehicles were
involved, a truck and four other vehicles, and by the time we got there, two
had already been removed.
“On
the whole, eight people died and three people were left injured. We took the
three injured people to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH)
first, and on our way back, we picked the dead ones. We noticed that the police
had already evacuated the dead bodies. But our men are there clearing the road
and we have made some recoveries, including money.”
According
to him, the dead include, “one female adult and seven male adults died, while
two male adults and two female adults are in the hospital receiving treatment.”
On
the immediate cause of the accident, Igwe said, “for the fact that they said a
truck was involved means that he was reckless. You know how they drive along
that road. Right now, the vehicles are in the bush. For the fact that he ran
into all the four vehicles, it is either he lost control or he was speeding,
but I am going to get the details.”
He appealed to motorists plying the road to be patient, especially during the last quarter of the year.
He appealed to motorists plying the road to be patient, especially during the last quarter of the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment