About 156 intending pilgrims from Kano State may lose the 2023 hajj, the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Agency has reported.
This development was attributed to the alleged overselling of seats by previous officials of the agency who were subsequently relieved of their positions by the new administration.
This was disclosed by Laminu Rabiu, the Director General of the Agency at a press conference on Wednesday saying the National Hajj Commission had allocated 6,144 seats to Kano, but11 it was discovered that the previous officials had sold an additional 156 seats beyond the allocated number.
Rabiu further assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted into the matter, and appropriate legal action would be taken against those responsible after the conclusion of the Hajj pilgrimage.
He appealed to the affected individuals to exercise patience, assuring them that they would be given priority in next year’s Hajj arrangements.
Meanwhile, the agency has so far successfully transported 2,558 pilgrims to the holy land, while awaiting the allocation of aircraft by the National Hajj Commission in the coming days.
“On resumption of duty after my appointment as the Director General, I discovered that all the seats had been sold out by the former Secretary. There were no available seats remaining,” Rabiu stated.
“Moreover, they had oversold the seats by approximately 156, which means that these individuals will not be unable to perform the Hajj despite making all necessary payments and meeting the requirements.
“It is truly disheartening to collect people’s money and then disappoint them after they have informed everyone that they would be attending the pilgrimage,” he expressed his dismay.
“We have pleaded with them to be patient and assured them that they will be given priority next year. As of now, 2,558 individuals have been successfully airlifted to the holy land.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident following the conclusion of the Hajj, and anyone found guilty of wrongdoing will face the full force of the law,” he affirmed.
Rabiu also refuted allegations of allocating other people’s seats to unauthorized individuals, emphasizing that all available seats had been exhausted, leaving no additional seats to allocate to anyone this year.
