By Chibuzo Ihegboro
Saudi Arabia’s authorities has arrested seven Nigerian pilgrims performing this year’s holy pilgrimage in Makkah for not being in possession of their NUSUK identity cards.
The seven Nigerian pilgrims from two states were said to have been arrested in front of their hotels on June 5 and 6 over the Nusuk ID cards, otherwise known as hajj permit.
In Saudi Arabia, not having Hajj permits, harbouring or aiding those without it attracts a SR10,000 fine, six months’ imprisonment, deportation and banning from Saudi Arabia for 10 years as penalty.
Names of the arrested pilgrims were not yet made public and it could not be ascertained yet if retrieves have come their way through the intervention of Nigeria’s hajj commission.
Reacting to the development, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, re-iterated its appeal on the collection and use of the cards for their Hajj exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
