President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, has expressed shock on the death of two justices of the Court in the Hajj stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia.
This is contained in a statement by Mrs Sa’adatu Musa, Media and Publicity Officer, Court of Appeal on Monday in Abuja.
The statement listed the dead justices to include Abubakar Jega and M.H. Alkali of Abuja and Ilorin divisions of the court respectively.
It said that the President described their sudden passage as “huge losses not only to the judiciary but to the entire country.’’
Bulkachuwa said the two late justices had never been found wanting in the discharge of their responsibilities, adding that they were highly principled on the bench.
“Justice Zainab on behalf of the justices and the entire staff of the Court of Appeal prayed Almighty Allah to grant the souls of the departed jurists Aljannah Firdausi.
“She also prayed that God should grant their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses,’’ the statement said.
Meanwhile, 54 Nigerians have been confirmed to have died during the stampede.
The confirmation was given by Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar, Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Monday at a news conference in Makkah.
No fewer than 717 pilgrims died and 805 others injured in the stampede when the pilgrims trooped to perform the ritual of the symbolic stoning of the devil.
Mukhtar said 61 other Nigerian pilgrims were injured during the incident.
He said 42 of the deceased pilgrims were transported to Saudi Arabia by state Pilgrims’ Welfare Agencies, while 12 came through Private Tour Operators
He said the deceased were from Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Cross Rivers, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Sokoto, Yobe, Taraba, and Zamfara.
The chairman also said that out of the injured 61 pilgrims, 16 were transported by Private Tour Operators and the remaining 45 by state Pilgrims’ Welfare Agencies.
He said the commission was still investigating to ascertain the number and condition of some pilgrims who have gone missing after the incident.
Mukhtar said the commission had set up three committees to condole with the families of the deceased, arrange befitting burial for the deceased and to collate information from eye witnesses.
