President orders Hajj commission to account for all Nigerian pilgrims following stampede

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September 28, 2015 2:12 PM

Buhari’s gave the directive due to conflicting reports on the number of Nigerians who died in the Hajj stampede on Thursday, September 24, 2015.

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the National Hajj Commission to urgently account for all Nigerians who were on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

This was disclosed on Monday, September 28, by presidential media aide, Garba Shehu via a statement.

It reads:

“President Buhari has ordered the National Hajj Commission and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to urgently account for all Nigerian pilgrims in the aftermath of the stampede that happened in Makka last Thursday.”

“…President Buhari is very concerned that days after the unfortunate incident, some Nigerian families are still grappling with painful uncertainty over the fate of their relatives who traveled to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj.”

“He has also ordered the National Hajj Commission to work with the various state pilgrim boards, Islamic organisations and private travel agencies involved in Hajj operations to speedily provide a confirmed and verifiable report on the status of every Nigerian pilgrim in Saudi Arabia.”

717 people have been confirmed dead in the incident, 56 of whom are Nigerians.

READ: 56 Nigerians dead, 61 injured in Hajj stampede

The stampede occurred while pilgrims participated in the “stoning of Satan” rite in Mina.

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