Abuja – The spokesman of the National Hajj Commissionof Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Uba Mana, said on Monday that the Saudi authorities had deported another 20 intending women pilgrims back to Nigeria.
Mana, in Abuja, said that 19 of the pilgrims were from Kwara while one was from Oyo State.
He said that the pilgrims were deported for not having complete travelling documents.
Mana blamed officials of the Kwara Pilgrims Welfare Board for the lapse, pointing out that immigration officials had raised observations about the documents before their departure but that officials from the state insisted that they were intact.
According to him, as a result, the Kwara Amirul Hajj and other officials of the state pilgrim's board have been summoned by NAHCON to Abuja on Tuesday for a meeting in connection with the issue.
The pilgrims were brought back to the country through the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport at about 6 a.m. on Monday aboard a Boeing 747 Kabo aircraft. (NAN)