Abuja: Nigerian authorities Thursday suspended all Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia after almost 170 Nigerian women Hajj pilgrims were deported for not having male escort.
Since Sunday, almost 1000 Nigerian women – mainly aged between 25 and 35, according to Nigerian diplomats – have been stopped at the airports in Jeddah and Medina.
A Nigerian government delegation is going to Saudi Arabia to complain. Nigeria’s speaker of the House of Representatives would lead the delegation accompanied by the foreign affairs minister.
According to Nigerian diplomats, the agreement between the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the Saudi authorities allows visas to be issued for Nigerian women going to Mecca as long as they are accompanied by Hajj committee officials.
According to reports, Nigeria’s vice-president met the Saudi ambassador to Nigeria on Wednesday and gave him a 24-hour ultimatum for the situation to be resolved. The deportations have heightened concerns that the situation is threatening to develop into a diplomatic showdown.
More than two million Muslims are due to converge on Mecca for this year’s Hajj, which is set to culminate over a four-day period somewhere between 24-29 October depending on lunar observations.
The Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam, which every adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their life if they can afford it and are physically able.
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