Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia
By Abdullahi Abubakar
A total of seven Nigerian pilgrims have reporredly died in Saudi Arabia following health complications as processions for the 2025 hajj ended on Sunday.
The symbolic stoning of shaitan at the Jamarat on the third day of Eid signals the end of the process, except for those who delay their Tawaf, circumambulation of the Kaaba.
The spiritual exercise, one of the five pillars of Islam, but among the two not made compulsory for the poor, coveted by all Muslims to perform even once in their lifetime, presents the opportunity to visit the country where Islam was birthed.
Even though the temperature of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was high during the exercise, most deaths of Nigerians recorded were of the aged.
The first death that was announced was that of a pilgrim from Oyo State, Alhaji Sulaimon Hamzat. Hamzat, who was the Aare Musulumi of the Owala Muslim Community, died in Saudi Arabia on May 17.
Next was from the Abia State contingent, Alhaji Saleh, the Chairman of the Lokpanta Cattle Market.
He passed away in Makkah on the night of Monday, May 26, 2025.
Next was a 75-year-old pilgrim from Jattu Uzairue in the Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, Adizatu Dazumi, who also died on Monday, May 26, after a brief illness.
Dazumi was reported to have fallen ill shortly after performing the Tawaf and was taken to the King Fahad General Hospital in Makkah on Sunday. She passed away the following day.
Confirming the development, the Chairman of the Edo State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Musah Uduimoh, stated, “She was buried in Makkah on the same day, according to Islamic tradition, and her family in Jattu Uzairue has been informed.”
Similarly, a pilgrim from Plateau State died in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The deceased, who is identified as Hajiya Jamila Muhammad, was said to have died due to complications from diabetes.
This was confirmed in a statement released to newsmen in Jos by the Executive Secretary of the Muslim State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mr. Daiyabu Dauda.
She was reported to have passed away at the King Abdul’aziz Hospital, Makkah.
According to the statement, “When the complications began, we immediately took her to the hospital for proper medication in line with our mandate.
“Unfortunately, we lost her, and the doctor at the hospital confirmed it was complications due to diabetes,” he said.
Just a day before the 2025 hajj rites were set to begin, a pilgrim from Kano State, Shu’aibu Jibrin, died in Makkah.
The Kano State Pilgrim Welfare Board’s spokesperson, Malam Suleiman Dederi, confirmed the death on the 3rd of June, 2025. He said Jibrin died after a brief illness.
Jibrin’s relative, Sama’uddin Aliyu Kadawa, who is also on pilgrimage, shared details with journalists in Makkah:
“He was okay when he left home. After he became ill, he was admitted to King Abdulazeez Hospital for two days and was discharged after his health improved.
“Unfortunately, his condition worsened again yesterday, and he was rushed back to the hospital. Despite the efforts of our Nigerian doctors and the medical team at the hospital, he passed away around 2:50 a.m.,” he added.
Aliyu said the deceased was a farmer from Gargai, in Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano.
He revealed that Jibrin had a history of ulcers and hypertension.
However, doctors in Saudi Arabia said the cause of death was cardiac arrest and heart failure.
Also, a Nigerian pilgrim died on the plain of Arafat.
According to the Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Prof Abdullahi Saleh Usman, “We received sad news that we lost one of our pilgrims today in Arafat, and the other one died before we left Mecca,” he said.
He also said the pilgrim’s death was natural, ruling out speculations that it was caused by heat waves.
Meanwhile, NAHCON has repeatedly warned that the name of any deceased person must not be made public by the commission or media until his or her family has been formally informed.
In 2024, no fewer than 30 Nigerians died during the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, four victims passed away as a result of the heat wave recorded during the exercise.
The 2024 pilgrimage witnessed over 1,000 deaths that were caused by heatwaves. Those affected were illegal pilgrims who could not get access to infrastructure that would have made them cool in the searing hot weather.
While authorities are yet to release the casualty figures of this year, the kingdom had in April, suspended the issue of short-term visas for 14 countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Yemen, and Morocco.
This was to curb unauthorised hajj pilgrimages and control inbound travel, as people have in the past traveled to Saudi Arabia on short-term visas and entered Mecca without official permission for the Hajj.
The Interior Ministry warned in May that a fine of up to 20,000 riyals, or about $5,330, would be imposed on anyone attempting to enter Makkah during the hajj without the correct visa.
It also banned children under 12 from this year’s hajj as a precautionary measure to ensure children’s safety during the pilgrimage, which could be a dangerous environment for them because of the huge crowds.
