By Bashir Mohammed Kano
Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board has barred four pregnant intending pilgrims from this year’s hajj. Th e board’s Public Relations Offi cer, Alhaji Nuhu Badamasi, told the newsmen in Kano yesterday that the aff ected pilgrims were detected during the mandatory pregnancy screening exercise. According to him, all the aff ected intending pilgrims would not be allowed to travel to the Holy land for the hajj exercise this year.
“It is a law that any female intending pilgrims found to be pregnant should be allowed to travel for the hajj exercise in view of the rigorous nature of the exercise. “We still advise all female intending pilgrims who have yet to attend the mandatory screening to do so before the commencement of the airlift, “he said. Badamasi said any female intending pilgrim who refused to attend the ongoing pregnancy test would not be allowed to set her foot in the Holy Land.
“Even if she refuses to attend the ongoing screening, she will have to go for another screening before boarding the aircraft at the Airport,” he said. He said the airlift of the state intending pilgrims was expected to commence between August 6 and 7. He disclosed that Azman and Max Airlines are expected to airlift the 6, 607 intending pilgrims from the state to Saudi Arabia for the 2017 Hajj. He said Max Air would transport no fewer than 3600 pilgrims whole Azman Air would airlift 3,000 pilgrims. Th e board, he said, had forwarded about 2, 000 passports of the intending pilgrims to the Saudi Arabia Consulate in Kano for the issuance of visa. On payment of the fare, Badamasi said about 5, 400 out of 6,607 intending pilgrims had so far completed the payment of the Hajj fares.
