The Lagos State Government, Saturday evening received the first batch of her pilgrims from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj Exercise.
This was made known in a statement made available to journalists by Mr. Olalekan Murisiku, Media Assistant to Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef.
The Pilgrims according to the statement on board Medview flt MEV3317 which departed Jeddah on Saturday landed around 9:30pm at Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) with 450 pilgrims and three officials.
DAILY POST learnt that a total of Two thousand three hundred and thirty two (2332), pilgrims from Lagos State participated in this year’s Hajj exercise.
AbdulLateef, who was accompanied by the Lagos Zonal Coordinator, National Hajj Commission, (NAHCON), Alhaji Mubarak Abdul Waheed, thanked God for seeing them through the spiritual exercise.
He said that the pilgrims would return in batches to Nigeria starting from Saturday as arranged by the Saudi Authorities and other agencies in charge of pilgrims airlift.
He said: “Nigerian Pilgrims were airlifted from different operation spots to Saudi Arabia but now that pilgrims are going back through one operation spot which is the Jeddah International Airport, all the Pilgrims cannot leave at once but in batches.”
He said that about 800 pilgrims also would return tomorrow (Monday) through two different flights.
AbdulLateef described this years Hajj operations as exceptional as he thanked Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the gesture.
He explained that the state government established Medical Centres for Lagos pilgrims in Madinah, Makkah and during the peak of Hajj exercise in Muna.
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