10 Nigerian pilgrims die in Saudi Arabia

As three million pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat on Sunday to mark the climax of the 2016 pilgrimage, 10 Nigerian pilgrims have been confirmed dead during the religious festival.
Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdullahi Muktar, confirmed the death of the Nigerians.
He, however, said everything was being done to ensure the safety of close to 62,000 Nigerians in Saudi Arabia for the event.
The event at Mount Arafat featured Pilgrims’ supplication for Allah’s guidance and forgiveness.
Staying at Arafat from sunrise until sunset is the major rite of the pilgrimage.
Movement from Muna, where the pilgrims spent the night, started as early as 2am and was completed about 10am.
Pilgrims were camped in tents fully equipped with cooling system to alleviate the high temperature, which sometimes rose to 40 degrees Centigrade.
Muktar said the Commission was able to conclude the movement of Nigerian pilgrims about 9am on Sunday.
“The coordination and movement were unprecedented in our history,” Muktar said, commending officials and pilgrims for their cooperation and discipline.
Muktar said all the tents were provided with cooling system and water coolers, while the quality of food served the pilgrims had greatly improved.
He further said that effort would be made to serve Nigerian dishes to pilgrims in subsequent years.
The Chairman also announced that there was no incident of traffic accident involving Nigerian pilgrims.
He appealed to pilgrims to continue to be law-abiding in the final phase of the exercise.
Also speaking, the Head of the Medical Team, Dr Ibrahim Kana, said there was no reported case of a serious medical problem during the stay at Arafat.
Meanwhile, special prayers were conducted in Arabic, English, Hausa, Ogoni and Yoruba by leading clerics for the progress of Nigeria and guidance of its leaders at Arafat.
Similar prayers were also offered at various tents.