Nigerian Women Pilgrims

Saudi Arabia, in apparent defiance of Nigeria's ultimatum, has deported 510 female pilgrims.

The deportees, mainly from Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states, arrived at the Kano International Airport at about 8.30pm on Wednesday, aboard a Meridian Airline flight. The female returnees were among the Nigerian women pilgrims for the 2012 hajj detained in Medina and Jeddah for not having male escorts while trying to enter Mecca.

But from the spokeperson, there is an existing agreement between the countries to exempts Nigerian women from requiring a male relative to escort them during the Hajj pilgrimage, which costs about $4,000 per person. So if there is an an agreement and exemption, why the sudden change? Vice President Namadi Sambo had on Wednesday summoned the Saudi Ambassador to Nigeria, Khaled O.Y. Abdrabuh, to register the Federal Government's displeasure over the incident. Sambo also gave Saudi Arabia a 24-hour ultimatum to redress the situation. Spokesman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Mallam Uba Mana, said those brought back were a part of 1020 earlier detained by the Saudi officials at the King Fahd Airport. He said the commission hoped that the Federal Government at the Presidency level would soon settle the matter which is already threatening the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. The envoy also gave the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal. the assurance that the dispute would be resolved within 24 hours when he met with him. The Speaker was nominated by the Federal Government to negotiate the release of the pilgrims with the Saudi authorities. But more female pilgrims were still deported. A total of 511 women arrived at the Kano international airport on a flight from Jeddah, most of them in tears. They had been kept at Jeddah airport as long as five days. According to Zainab Mohammed “

Some of us were kept in two halls for five days in humiliating conditions with little food, water and other basic needs and inadequate toilet facilities.Many of us have cold and fever. We did not have blankets and it was cold, especially at night

" Another woman, Maryam Abdullahi said officials humiliated them.

“I have never been so sad in my life like in the past three days, We were held like criminals in debasing conditions. We deserve human treatment and as women and mothers, we deserve to be treated with honour but the Saudis have shown that they have no heart.

” Before them, 102 Nigerian women returned to the country having been denied entry into Saudi Arabia because they were not accompanied by men. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria described the situation as “

unprecedented and worrisome development.”

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– Sheikh Gumi For Sheikh Ahmad Mahmud Gumi, the detention and subsequent deportation of Nigerian female pilgrims from Saudi Arabia was caused by government’s incompetence and the indiscipline Nigerian women exhibit in foreign countries. He said the action of the Saudi authorities did not come to him as a surprise because of the way and manner female pilgrims conduct themselves while in the holy land.

“During the days of President Yar’adua, I have severally called his attention to the atrocities committed by our female pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. Some of them would go to the holy land and vanish. They stay there to engage in acts that are not only against our religion but against even common sense and morality. I know the Saudis have respect for women but what our women do in the kingdom have made the Saudis to regard them as criminals. “Another issue is the way and manner our government portray themselves to the outside world. They were able to present themselves as incompetent personalities that can compromise the welfare of their people for some little gains. “Despite the indiscipline of some of our female pilgrims, I think the Saudi authorities ought to have, before now, informed our government of their decision to stop any female pilgrim from performing this year’s pilgrimage if she doesn’t go with Muharram,

” Well this weekend the Government that had earlier stopped airlifting to resolve the issue, has resumed. We wish all the Pilgrims a successful and fulfilling pilgrimage.