A total of 43 Nigerian pilgrims to the 2015 Hajj in Saudi Arabia are still missing, three months after the exercise, while 280 have been confirmed dead in the two tragedies that marred the event.

Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Barrister Abdullahi Mohammed, disclosed this Wednesday while presenting the report on the 2015 Hajj to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engineer Babachir David Lawal, in his office.

Barrister Mohammed, who was accompanied by NAHCON Board members, described the 2015 Hajj as the most eventful in the history of Hajj operations in Nigeria, with pilgrims witnessing two tragic events: the crane incident at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on September 11, 2015 and the stampede recorded in Mina on September 24, 2015. Nigeria, he said, recorded a total of 280 deaths from both events, while 43 are considered missing as their status is yet to be ascertained.

The Chairman disclosed that a total of 75,081 Nigerian Pilgrims participated in the 2015 Hajj exercise, adding that both the outbound and inbound flights were concluded well ahead of schedule. He once again condoled President Muhammadu Buhari, families of victims and Nigerians in general on the loss of lives. He assured that the report submitted contains observations and recommendations that will ensure more successes during future Hajj exercises.

In his remarks, the SGF commended the NAHCON Chairman and Board for their exemplary performance in Saudi Arabia, especially during the tragedies that occurred during the Hajj.

He said he was particularly impressed with the conduct of the Chairman in providing the government and indeed, the general public, adequate and incontrovertible information throughout the crisis. He assured the commission that the report submitted will receive the prompt attention of the government.

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