The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) last night confirmed the death of 54 Nigerians from the stampede that occurred in Saudi Arabia in the process of stoning the devil.
The chairman of the commission, Barrister Abdullahi Muktar Muhammed, told journalists in Makkah that 42 of the 54 that died were from states pilgrims welfare board while 16 were those brought to Saudi Arabia by tour operators.
He said of the 54 Nigerians Casualties, two were officials of NAHCON. He also gave the names of the affected states to include Borno, Zamfara, Cross River, Jigawa, Kano, Kogi and Kebbi states. Other states that lost pilgrims in the stampede were Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe states.
He said 61 other Nigerians from the state pilgrims board were injured while 16 were from tour operators. According to the NAHCON chairman, there are hopes that the missing pilgrims could still be found, adding that committees have been set up to intensify search for the missing pilgrims.
A total of 769 pilgrims from all over the world lost their lives during the stampede.
