The first batch of Lagos State Muslim pilgrims to 2018 Hajj landed safely at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, yesterday at 6.50a.m. Amirul Hajj and the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef, said the pilgrims on board MedView VM3307 departed Jeddah to Lagos at 0340hrs with 312 Lagos pilgrims and one official on board.
Meanwhile, Nigeria yesterday recorded the death of another pilgrim, making it two same day. A pilgrim from Niger State had, in the morning, died in an elevator pit after stepping on the platform without knowing it was under repair.
NAHCON medical officials said the tragedy was being studied by review of CCTV footage of the incident.Later in the day, the Kaduna State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board announced the loss of another pilgrim (name withheld) from Lere Council.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the board, Yunusa Abdullahi, said the pilgrim died at a hospital in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, after a protracted illness.News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that eight Nigerian pilgrims have died since the beginning of the hajj this year.
