A plane load of Muslims from northern Nigeria trying to reach this year's Hajj has been turned back in Saudi Arabian air space and sent home. The 492 pilgrims from Kaduna had missed an extension to Wednesday's deadline secured by Nigeria's president. Thousands of other Nigerian pilgrims have been stranded as a shortage of aircraft is blamed for the chaos. Kano's state governor told angry pilgrims to go home and accept | More like the will of King Abdullah and the greed of countless Soddy paper pushers... |
Yes...it is connected to Virgin Atlantic....
Saudi authorities have said they would fine airlines $50,000 for every plane carrying Hajj pilgrims that arrived after the deadline. The BBC's Ado Saleh Kankiya at Kano airport says thousands of Muslims from northern Katsina, Bauchi and Jigawa are still hoping that their state authorities - which organise travel on the Hajj - will pay these fines.
"After all, we got a couple of old ladies this close to handing over their life savings with this 419 thing Abdul's running over there...."
In a long address to angry pilgrims from Kano, Governor Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau asked them to accept the disappointment, our correspondent says. He promised them that they would be among the first to go to the Hajj next year and said that next year better plans would be put in place.
Makes you wonder if any of them would be willing to carry out another apparently sacred tradition....what, with their explosive anger over not getting to go....