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Abdullahi Mohammed, chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Monday confirmed that over 300 Nigerians died during the 2015 Hajj operations in Mina and Crane crash in Saudi Arabia last year.
Mohammed who disclosed this during the investigative public hearing on the stampede which occurred on the , however denied reports on the payment of 1 million Saudi Riyal compensation to families of those who died and 500 Saudi Riyal to those who sustained injuries during the stampede.
According to him the stampede which occurred at the intersection of Road 203 and 224 on the 24th September 2015, after the pilgrims who left Arafat and spent a night at Delifa, proceeded to Jamat, where the symbolic stoning of the devil took place.
He said: “Nigeria has not received 1 million Saudi Riyal and 500 Saudi Riyal that were promised as compensation for the dead and the injured. We are working on it and as soon as we receive them we will forward them to the families of the victims.”
While reacting to report on the mass burial, Mohammed dismissed the reports argued that “there was no mass burial as each victim of the stampede was buried in his own grave marked and identified. Also the stampede did not occur as a result of the movement of Nigeria’s tent or as a result of the movement of VIPs as erroneously conceived.”
He disclosed that 274 pilgrims were declared dead as at 5th of November 2015 when the Committee submitted its report, two left on admission and 47 declared missing.
He however noted that two on admission, one died while one was discharged and returns to Nigeria.
Mohammed who added that out of the 47 declared missing, as a result of effective coordination between the Council and Saudi authorities, further observed that 30 pilgrims as at last Friday were certified dead leaving only five pilgrims missing as at last week Friday.
The NAHCON chairman disclosed that six Nigerians died while six others sustained injuries during the crane crash which occurred on the 11th September 2015.
In his remarks, Ibrahim Abdullahi Dutse, Chairman, Adhoc Committee on 2015 Hajj stampede at Mina in Saudi Arabia who expressed regrets over the stampede during the 2015 Hajj operations explained that the investigative hearing was to ascertain the role of NAHCON in the pilgrimage.
“It was in view of the above, the Hon. Speaker discharged the two Committees of the referral having failed to act on the referral within the stipulated period. On Wednesday 22nd June, 2016, the Hon. Speaker constituted this ad hoc Committee to take over the said referral.
“This public hearing seeks to underscore the importance of Hajj and Umrah to the Nigerian Muslims and the pursuit for hitch-free hajj operations at all time. It is also meant to find out where we have gone wrong in 2015 and find ways and means to make subsequent hajj and Umrah operation a success,” he said.
