The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has warned pilgrims against carrying items that can endanger lives in their luggage as the return journey continues.
NAHCON’s Commissioner for Operations, Alhaji Abdullahi Saleh, gave the warning, when he led a delegation from the commission to visit pilgrims from Edo, Borno, and Adamawa states in Makkah.
Alhaji Saleh, who stood in for the Chairman of the commission, Barr. Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, cautioned them against the purchase of items like car batteries and gas cylinders that could easily explode.
The commissioner, who advised them to save their money, said some of the items were also available in Nigeria.
He said items like umbrellas, forks, and swords that could be used as weapons were also banned from the aircrafts.
Alhaji Saleh, who also told the pilgrims not to carry Zamzam water, said it could trigger off fire if the bottle leaked and the liquid touched the electrical wires in the aircraft.
He said each pilgrim would get 5 litres of Zamzam water in Nigeria.
He reminded the pilgrims of the need to adhere strictly to regulations on luggage, saying compliance to 8kg for handbag and 32kg for second bag would be in their own interest as excess might be thrown away.
He urged the pilgrims to exercise patience pending the time they would receive information about their departure from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He further implored them to use their time well as two units (rakaat) of prayers offered in Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah attracted 100,000 rewards.
“Let’s avoid things that can bring danger. If you bring car battery, it can explode. It can catch fire. The fire inside aircraft is very dangerous for everybody. Don’t buy cooking gas because you see a beautiful cylinder and you want to take it home because it’s from Saudi Arabia. It’s there in Nigeria.
“Inside aircraft, we have things that are not weapons but can be used as weapons. You may want to buy beautiful sword to decorate your sitting room. You may want to buy umbrella. It can be used as weapon if somebody wants to fight you inside aircraft. It can easily kill. We are advising people to avoid carrying these things even if it is fork. Fork is a metallic object that can be used to harm somebody. Please, avoid carrying these things,” he said.
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