Hajj: Stranded private pilgrims return home, seek probe of erring airline

The hundreds of stranded Nigerian pilgrims, who travelled to Saudi Arabia through private tour operators, have returned to the country after spending more than 30 days instead of the agreed 16 days.

The private pilgrims, who arrived Malam Aminu Kano International Airport early Thursday morning, called on the federal government and other relevant agencies to investigate and punish the airline, Sky Power, for breach of contract and subjecting them to emotional trauma.

The spokespersons of the stranded pilgrims, Alhaji Zaharaddeen Usman, Alhaji Alhassan Amman Fagge and Alhaji Musa Aliyu Jahun Magajin Mallam, said Sky Power must be punished for abandoning them in the holy land.

The Saudi ministry of hajj and National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) coordinated efforts to evacuate the pilgrims from the King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, and accommodated them in hotels.

At the weekend, a delegation of the private pilgrims stormed NAHCON office in Makkah and submitted a petition against their service providers and the airline that was supposed to ferry them back home after the completion of Hajj rites.

They said they were promised in their contractual packages with their various private travel agencies that their maximum days of stay in Saudi Arabia will be 16.

After submitting the petition, the Chairman of NAHCON, Abdullahi Mukhtar Mohammed, mandated the commissioner of operations and other management staff to go to the residence of the aggrieved pilgrims in Mansoor street and address their concerns.

NAHCON commissioner of operations, Modibbo Abdullahi Saleh, visited the stranded pilgrims in Makkah and Jeddah and provided logistic and financial support, promising that the commission will airlift them back if they were unable to be flown out by Wednesday midnight.

The affected pilgrims accused the airline officials of dishonesty.

They said Sky Power’s airlift is one of the most horrible airlift operations by any private tour operator in recent past. “It is very unfortunate that we were treated that way after paying so much money,” one of the pilgrims, Alhaji Samaila Lawan said.

“Sky power lacks the major components of successful airlift that include finance, aircraft, permanent competent staff and experience management in Hajj operations. I don’t know why it was allowed to operate in Hajj,” he said.

NAHCON commissioner of operations earlier said that the commission will investigate the incident and appropriately sanction whoever is found culpable.