Tag: Hajj Pilgrims

NAHCON concludes 2025 Hajj Return Operations, final batch of Pilgrims arrives Kaduna

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has officially concluded the 2025 Hajj return operations with the arrival of the final batch of Nigerian pilgrims from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.   The concluding flight, which departed from Jeddah at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2, carried 87 pilgrims and landed safely in Kaduna State, marking the end of a 17-day return airlift operation that began on June 13.   Chairman of NAHCON, Professor Abdullah Saleh Usman, while addressing the pilgrims before their departure, expressed profound gratitude to Allah…

NAHCON cautions Tour Operators against unauthorized Hajj engagements as Visa deadline elapses

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has issued a strong warning to Hajj stakeholders, particularly licensed Tour Operators, against engaging in unauthorized arrangements for Tent A+ services, stressed that such actions fall outside the Commission’s official framework.   This caution followed the closure of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah visa portal, despite NAHCON’s intensive efforts to secure a last-minute extension even for an hour which ultimately proved unsuccessful.   In a statement issued by Fatima Sanda Usara, Assistant Director of Information and Publication, on behalf of the…

NDLEA busts syndicate sponsoring pilgrims with Cocaine to Hajj, arrests 3 Kingpins in Kano

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a criminal syndicate that sponsors Hajj pilgrims to serve as drug couriers to Saudi Arabia. This breakthrough followed the arrest of three key figures of the cartel in Kano. The suspected kingpins – Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba were arrested on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May 2025, after two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, were apprehended at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, during the outward clearance of passengers on…

Hajj 2025: NAHCON Chairman applauds Staff, Stakeholders over smooth reception of Pilgrims in Madinah

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, has commended the dedication and professionalism of the Commission’s staff and stakeholders for the successful reception of the first batches of Nigerian pilgrims in Madinah for the 2025 Hajj exercise.   Professor Usman, in a statement issued by Fatima Sanda Usara, Assistant Director of Information and Publication, expressed deep appreciation to the NAHCON Madinah team for their tireless round-the-clock efforts. He described their work as a “sacrifice for the success of the…

Don’t Take Drugs To Saudi Arabia, Dabiri-Erewa Warns Pilgrims

Emporium Reporters

Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri- Erewa has warned pilgrims participating in this year hajj to resist any temptation to take hard drugs to Saudi Arabia, reminding them that it attracted death penalty. In a statement by the NIDCOM Head of Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Dabiri-Erewa said despite repeated warnings and workshops for intending pilgrims, it is disheartening that some Nigerians still ran foul of Saudi Arabia authorities’ law. She recalled that some Nigerians caught with hard drugs in the last few years were still currently on death…