 |
| Dead and surviving victims of the Hajj stampededin Mina which has so far claimed 717 lives |
•North worst-hit
•Cross River, Ogun,
others affected
No fewer than 56 Nigerian
pilgrims died in the Hajj stampede last week. About 77 others were
injured. Many are still missing. The
figures were released last night at a news conference in Makkah by
the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Abdullahi
Mukhtar. The briefing, which was delayed because of consultations with the nation’s
Consular Office in Makkah, marked the first official confirmation of Nigeria’s
death toll.
The
Nation report continues:
The
NAHCON chief said most of the victims and the injured came from the North.
Some
of the affected states are Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna,
Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, Taraba, Zamfara, Ogun
Mukhtar
said: “42 pilgrims under the State Pilgrims Welfare Boards have been confirmed
dead alongside two officials from NAHCON. Also, 12 pilgrims who came in through
tour operators died in the stampede too.
“I
think 61 state pilgrims’ welfare boards and 16 from tour operators (Private
Hajj Operators) got injured in the stampede. We will update you as the
information comes.”
On the missing pilgrims, he
said: “We cannot give you the full figure until the ongoing head count is
concluded.” |
|
Abdullahi
Mukhtar, Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria
|
The
Punch reports that the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency has confirmed the
killing of the immediate Caretaker Chairman of Illela Local Government Area of
the state, Alhaji Bello Gidan-Hamma, his mother, stepmother and two wives in
the stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia.
The
agency also confirmed that the Chief Imam of the Sultan Abubakar III Jumaa’at
Mosque, Sokoto, Sheikh Liman Dan-Ata, was among those killed in the stampede.
The
Media Assistant to the agency, Alhaji Farouk Umar, made this known in an
interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday.
NAN
recalls that the state government had in a statement issued on Saturday by
Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s spokesperson, Imam Imam, confirmed the killing of
nine other pilgrims from the state in the Mina stampede.
At
of the time of writing this report, several pilgrims from the state had been
declared missing.
Meanwhile,
the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll-led Jama’atu Nasril Islam on
Sunday urged the Saudi Arabian authorities to probe the stampede.
“This
is one tragedy too many,” the JNI in a statement by its Secretary-General, Dr.
Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, in Kaduna, on Sunday, said.
This
is just as a fiery Islamic cleric and leader of the Shiite Movement in Nigeria,
Shiekh Ibaheem El-Zakzaky, blamed the tragedy on a Saudi prince whose convoy
allegedly caused the stampede.
He
said the prince and others fingered in the tragedy should be sentenced to
death.
While
commiserating with the families of the victims of the tragedy, the JNI urged
the Muslim Ummah (community) not to be deterred but to remain steadfast in the
current challenges confronting them.
The
religious body noted that it was gratifying that the Saudi authorities were
doing all they could to make the Hajj operation smooth, but added that
investigation into what led to the tragedy was necessary.
According
to the JNI, an investigation into the stampede became imperative in order to
guard against future occurrence.
The
JNI said, “With humility and total submission to Allah the exalted, the
Jama’atu Nasril Islam, under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad
Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto, and the President-General, condoles with with
the Muslim Ummah over the Jamarat stampede, which led to the loss of several lives
of pilgrims in one of the sites of worship in Saudi Arabia.
“This
is one tragedy too many. JNI shares the pains and worries the families of the
affected victims are passing through and urge them to patiently persevere and
put their trust in Allah.
“Despite
this and other painful trials, our faith in Allah is unshaken. Therefore, we
call on each and every Muslim to remain focused and firm in his or her belief and
engage in acts that will bring them closer to Allah.
“It is, indeed gratifying
that the Saudi authorities have been doing everything humanly possible to make
the Hajj as smooth as it should be, but we still call on them to investigate
the Jamarat stampede in order to avert future occurrence.”
PREMIUM
TIMES reports that the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has blamed Saudi Arabian
authorities for the stampede in Mina on Thursday during Hajj activities.
At
least 769 people were killed in the stampede during the devil stoning right
performed by Muslims who travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. Over a dozen
Nigerians have been confirmed dead from the stampede with many more yet to be
accounted for.
In
a statement on Saturday, MURIC whose officials were in Muna during the
incident, said the failure of adequate planning for the event was “criminal
negligence” and “the Saudi authorities must be held accountable.”
The
group, in the statement by its director, Ishaq Akintola, urged “the Nigerian
government to support NAHCON’s (Nigerian Hajj agency) stand on this.
“Nigeria
must demand compensation from the Saudis for families of the bereaved. We
should also task the Saudis to involve the world Muslim Ummah in the planning
and implementation of the annual hajj exercise in view of the emerging scenario
of complacency on the part of the Saudi authorities.”
Apart
from Nigerian officials, Iran has also blamed Saudi authorities for the
stampede during which about 130 Iranians were killed.
Read
MURIC’s full statement below
SALAH
DAY STAMPEDE: SAUDI AUTHORITIES MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE
The
stampede in Muna on the way to the stoning spots (jamaraat) which occurred on
Salah day Thursday 24th September, 2015 claimed about 717 lives among whom
about 30 are suspected to be Nigerians.
The
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is deeply saddened by the death of highly
qualified Nigerians like Professor Tijani Elmiskin and Bilkisu Yusuf in the
stampede. We are devastated and we are in a mourning mood with the bereaved
families. In particular, we commiserate with President Muhammadu Buhari, Muhammad
Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Supreme Council
for Islamic Affairs as well as all Nigerian Muslims at this trying moment.
We
remind all true believers that Allah allows tragedies in times like these in
order to test their faith. “Or do you think Allah will not try you simply
because you are believers? Remember that we tested those before you…” (Qur’an
19:1-3).
As
part of the team which officiated during this year’s pilgrimage, we affirm that
officials of the National Hajj Commission performed their duties as expected of
them. The airlift from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia was hitch free and the two
tragedies which occurred in Saudi this year can only be blamed on situations
beyond NAHCON’s control. The current chairman of NAHCON, Abdullahi Mukhtar, was
seen on several occasions getting personally involved in operations and keeping
vigil at night to ensure a smooth hajj exercise. He stayed among the pilgrims
and officials, rode in the same buses with them and shunned all offers for VIP
treatment.
As
eyewitnesses of the gory stampede incident, we testify that it was caused by
security breakdown on the part of the Saudi authorities. We left Muzdalifah for
Muna around 6 am on that fateful day. We branched in the NAHCON camp to drop
our personal effects and headed straight to the jamaraat which were less than
three kilometres away. To our surprise, the road was blocked by Egyptian
pilgrims who had cast their own stones and were returning to their camp.
Instead of taking the route designated for returning pilgrims, they stubbornly
took the route meant for those who were going. The road became narrow and
movement became difficult. The atmosphere became charged and even breathing and
visibility were affected. The few policemen who were around desperately threw
water at us to save us from collapsing. It became glaring to us at that moment
that a monumental stampede was just around the corner.
The
Saudi authorities therefore lied when they tried to put the blame squarely on
African pilgrims. The stampede would not have occurred at all if Saudi security
agents had disallowed pilgrims returning from the jamaraat from taking the same
route on their way back. The practice over the years have always been to take a
detour but this was not enforced on Thursday. The fact that the road to the
same jamaraat became very free and safe yesterday and this morning when Saudi
security agents strictly enforced the rules by disallowing returning pilgrims
to use the same route as those going proves that our hypothesis is correct.
This
is criminal negligence and the Saudi authorities must be held accountable. We
urge the Nigerian government to support NAHCON’s stand on this. Nigeria must
demand compensation from the Saudis for families of the bereaved. We should
also task the Saudis to involve the world Muslim Ummah in the planning and
implementation of the annual hajj exercise in view of the emerging scenario of
complacency on the part of the Saudi authorities.
In
conclusion, MURIC commends NAHCON for insisting that Nigeria should be part of
any investigation of the tragedy. We laud the professionalism of the Nigerian
officials in the team. We pray that Allah gives the bereaved families the
fortitude to bear the losses.
Professor Ishaq Akintola,Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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