News

Nigerian pilgrim returns $800, other currencies in Makkah

A 52-year-old Nigerian pilgrim from Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Abba Limawa, has returned $800, 10,500 Russian rubles, and 690 Saudi Riyals, he found to the authority in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Limawa handed over the different currencies to the Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Jalal Arabi, during the post-Afarat conference in Makkah on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

The pilgrim disclosed that he found the money inside a waist bag while on his way to pray at the Masjid Haram (mosque).

He said: “Initially, I wanted to ignore the waist bag and move to the mosque, but on second thought, I said it might belong to a Nigerian, especially some of our old women.

“So, I decided to pick it and I proceeded to the mosque. When I returned to my accommodation, I opened the bag and discovered that there was no Nigerian currency and no sign that it belonged to a Nigerian.

“Immediately, I approached one of the officials of the Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Boards, narrated the story and presented the money to him.

Hajj: Another Nigerian pilgrim dies in Saudi Arabia

“From there, he commended me for showing an exemplary character and honesty and told me that he will hand over the money to the NAHCON, to ensure that the owner gets his or her money.”

Responding, Arabi commended Limawa for being honest and projecting the image of Nigeria positively at the international arena.

Earlier, in his presentation on the outcome of the just concluded Hajj ritual, the NAHCON boss explained that the aim of the post-Afarat conference was to review what had transpired.

“This will enable us to have a sincere post-mortem of what we did at the battlefield and improve on the success recorded,” he said.

Arabi disclosed that the Saudi government released the timetable and timeline for the 2025 Hajj operation on Tuesday.

He stated: “Perhaps by Thursday we will have known what they allocate (Hajj slots allocation) to each nation of the world and how the visas will commence.

“But interestingly for the first time, they (Saudi authority) have opened the e-portal as of Tuesday.”

The Star

Segun Ojo

Recent Posts

UBA GMD Alawuba urges security, bankable projects to drive South-East vision 2050

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc,…

2 hours ago

Cultists kill youth leader, aide in Rivers

Gunmen suspected to be cultists have killed the President of the Omoku Youth Federation, Ifeanyi…

5 hours ago

FG approves procedure for shoreline allocation, reclamation

The Federal Government has approved a unified Standard Application Procedure (SAP) to regulate all shoreline…

5 hours ago

Imam prays for Tinubu, says president’s tenure’ll bring hope to hopeless Nigerians

Prof. Luqman Zakariyah, the officiating Imam at the Wedding Fatiha of the children of the…

5 hours ago

Reforms attracting major investments to Kaduna — Uba Sani

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, says reforms introduced by his administration over the past two…

6 hours ago

Wike unveils major road plan for Abuja satellite towns

Residents of satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are expected to benefit from…

6 hours ago

This website uses cookies.