The first batch of Lagos State pilgrims that participated in the just-concluded 2025 Hajj exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have returned. The 423 pilgrims, comprising 179 males and 244 females, touched down in Lagos on Tuesday via a Flynas Airbus XY9014. This is contained in a statement by the Chairman of the Working…
A plane carrying hundreds of hajj pilgrims back from Saudi Arabia was diverted in Indonesia on Tuesday after an email bomb threat was sent to authorities, Indonesia’s aviation body said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it received a report from Indonesia’s airport operator “regarding a bomb threat sent by an unidentified person via…
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has confirmed a fire incident, at one of the hotels accommodating Nigerian pilgrims on Shari Mansur Street in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the NAHCON Assistant Director Information and Publication Division, Fatima Sanda Usara indicated that the incident occurred today, Saturday, around noon Saudi Arabian time. According…
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that the return flights for Nigerian pilgrims who performed the 2025 Hajj will begin on June 9. This date corresponds to the 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah, an important time in the Islamic calendar. The announcement was made by the Commission’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Professor…
A massive tide of white-clad pilgrims flowed into Jamarat, in the vicinity of Mina early Friday morning as the symbolic rite of Ramy al-Jamarat, the stoning of the devil, began in earnest. This marks a key stage in the annual Hajj pilgrimage, following the spiritually significant Day of Arafat and an overnight stay at Muzdalifa….
GISTSMATE MEDIA reports that one of the pilgrims from Kano State, Shu’aibu Jibrin, has been confirmed dead in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, just 24 hours to the initiation of the 2025 Hajj rites. This was confirmed by the Kano State Pilgrim Welfare Board’s spokesperson, Malam Suleiman Dederi, who informed that Jibrin passed away on Tuesday after…
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has announced a strict ban on taking photographs, videos or raising political and sectarian expressions at main Hajj sites. In a statement, the ministry emphasised that pilgrims are prohibited from taking photographs or recording videos within Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah, and at key Hajj locations including…
GISTSMATE MEDIA reports that a female pilgrim from Plateau State, Jamila Muhammad, has passed on. The Executive Secretary of the Plateau State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Daiyabu Dauda, disclosed this in a statement on Monday night. Dauda said the deceased died at King Abdul’aziz Hospital in Makkah while performing the 2025 hajj. He attributed the…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives have uncovered and dismantled a syndicate that sponsors hajj pilgrims who also serve as couriers to move cocaine to Saudi Arabia during pilgrimage. NDLEA said the development followed the arrest of leaders of the cartel in Kano. According to the agency, the arrest of the…
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that the 2025 Arafah sermon will be broadcast live in 34 languages, including three major Nigerian languages of Hausa, Fulani, and Yoruba. The Chairman of the Edo Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Board, Musah Muhammad-Uduimoh, disclosed this on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He…