Nigerian Pilgrims’ Death Toll Rises To 13, As 41,632 Fall Sick In S/Arabia

By Bimbo Adesanya

The head of the Nigerian medical team for the 2023 pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr Usman Galadima, has disclosed that the death toll of Nigerian pilgrims during the hajj exercise has risen to 13,  just as 41,632 others fell sick.

 Galadima, who made this known late on the night of Sunday, 2 July, 2023in Makkah during post-Arafat review session, added that his team made consultations for 25,772 pilgrims during the Muna-Arafat period in addition to the 15,680 treated in Madinah and Makkah during the pre-Arafat period.

Galadima recalled that seven pilgrims had died during the pre-Arafat period, just as he also gave the breakdown of the casualties as: Plateau (1), Kaduna (2), Osun (2), Borno (1), Yobe (1), FCT (1), Benue (1) and Lagos (1); while private tour operators recorded three deaths.

According to Galadima, during the Muna-Arafat period, four pilgrims died at Arafat and two at Mina.

Galadima, who recommended thorough pre-hajj medical screening with the issuance of a certificate of medical fitness, also added that elderly pilgrims and those very sick should be discouraged from going to Jamarat (the place where pilgrims performed the symbolic stoning of the devil).

He also said the grouping of pilgrims as recommended by Saudi authorities should be enforced, just as he also urged states with functional ambulances to place their vehicles in the national medical team’s pool for a more coordinated response to emergency cases.

The commissioner of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in charge of aviation, Goni Sanda, announced that return flights of Nigerian pilgrims would begin on July 4 and end on August 3.