Saudi customs arrested over Nigerian pilgrims

Four officials of the Saudi Arabian Custom Service have been arrested over alleged torturing of two Nigerian pilgrims at the Medina International Airport last Thursday.

 

Daily Trust exclusively reported that the pilgrims who are from Nasarawa state,  were detained for nine hours before being tortured, one of them injured.

 

The Coordinator of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) Office in Medina, Dr Bello Tambuwal who disclosed this to newsmen said the Saudi government has taken over the case following their complaint.

 

He also disclosed that a Saudi Arabian lawyer had vowed to fight for the cause of the victims.

 

Tambuwal however said that the two affected pilgrims were discharged after being treated at an undisclosed hospital. 

 

He added that none of the 43,127 Nigerian pilgrims who have so far arrived  Medina lost his life or was on admission in the hospital as against the previous years when they recorded  no less than 10 death during each exercise.

 

He also said that there was no cases of miscarriage,  birth or any pilgrim under detention for unlwaful act so far which he said  was a great achievement.

 

According to the Coordinator, out of the 43,127 pilgrims, 24,068 were transported to Saudi Arabia through the Medina Airport.

 

Similarly, 27,623 of them had since left for Makkah to perform Umrah, the lesser Hajj. 

 

''Happily,  all of them were accommodated in good hotels,  near the Mosque of the Holy Prophet.The pilgrims are also being provided with  breakfast and dinner,  with various nutritious diet,  ''  he added.