…Demands transparency for 2026 Hajj
…Calls for probe into security and medical lapses
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Following the conclusion of the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj, the Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a civil society organization, has called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards to immediately organize an open review of this year’s operations.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammed, and released on Sunday in Kaduna, IHR urged NAHCON and relevant agencies to establish a transparent platform to evaluate the 2025 Hajj exercise. The objective, the group said, is to prevent a recurrence of the critical service failures experienced this year.
The organization emphasized that the review must be a candid, fact-based self-assessment—free from political grandstanding or self-congratulatory remarks.
While acknowledging improvements in areas such as the first phase of the airlift and services in Mina, IHR stressed the need for a thorough investigation into lapses in security and medical screening.
Specifically, the group called for a probe into how dangerous criminals were able to gain access to the pilgrims’ registration database undetected—resulting in the arrest of wanted kidnappers during both outbound and return flights.
IHR also urged authorities to address widespread complaints about inadequate medical care in both Makkah and Madinah, and questioned how the system failed to identify a nine-month pregnant pilgrim from Zamfara State, who gave birth during the pilgrimage.
The statement further highlighted the chaotic payment of allowances to some ad-hoc officials in Makkah, the disorganized flight manifests, and the shortage of bed spaces in Madinah, calling for these issues to be placed on the review agenda.
“Most state pilgrims were accommodated far from the Grand Mosque in Makkah, depriving them of the opportunity to observe prayers regularly at the Haram,” the statement read. “There is an urgent need to revisit accommodation guidelines to prevent a repeat in the 2026 Hajj.”
Looking ahead, IHR noted that preparations for the 2026 Hajj are already underway. The group urged NAHCON to begin implementing the newly released 2026 Hajj calendar of events from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah without delay. It stressed that the timeline allows no room for procrastination, particularly in areas such as service delivery in Saudi Arabia and pilgrims’ registration.
