State of denial: “Saudi Arabia never deported any Nigerian pilgrim” – Hajj commission changes position

Officials of the National Hajj Commission of
Nigeria (NAHCON) are trying hard to put a spin
on the deportation of some female Muslim
pilgrims from Saudi Arabia last week by the Saudi
Arabian government. They are now describing
the reports as untrue.
The new explanation from the Hajj commission is
that the sudden return of the female pilgrims was
at the instance of Nigerian government,which
wanted to rectify certain anomalies. Obviously,
this claim is hard to believe, considering that the
spokesman of the Hajj commission, Mallam Uba
Mana had said last week that they were “awaiting
a response from the King of Saudi Arabia so that
a discussion can be opened between the two
parties.”
Communicating the new position of the
commission in a press briefing in Abuja on
Saturday, the chairman of NAHCON, Mallam
Mohammed Musa Bello, said that the issue of a
male companion for female pilgrims to the
kingdom is a fundamental aspect of the hajj
exercise which Nigeria cannot afford to violate.
This also is a clear contradiction from the
commission’s earlier position which claimed that
there was an existing agreement between
Nigerian and Saudi Arabian authorities which
exempts female Nigerian pilgrims from that law.
Mallam Bello denied the news that the Federal
Government delegation to Saudi Arabia was
denied visa to the kingdom noting that the issue
of the departure of the delegation has to do with
the disparity in timing between the two countries.
He had good news for intending pilgrims;
disclosing that the suspended airlifting operation
of the pilgrims would resume as soon as all the
challenges that led to the problem are
addressed.  Already, eight states with 32 flight
schedules are on standby to commence
operation when the challenges are sorted out.
He promised that all the pilgrims would be
airlifted before the October 20 closing date of the
King Abdulazeez International Airport Jeddah
and Madinah airport.