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The Oyo State Pilgrims Welfare Board(Muslim wing), on Thursday disclosed that a female pilgrim, Miss Anifat Saheed, absconded in Jeddah during the 2019 Hajj operation in Saudi Arabia.
The Chairman of the board, Prof. Sayed Malik, stated this during the presentation of the 2019 Hajj report to the state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde.
He said she was one of the 914 pilgrims that took part in the 2019 Hajj from the state.
According to the Chairman, the disappearance of Saheed was noticed when the board was preparing the last batch of pilgrims for their journey to King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah on September 1. He said all effort to locate her proved abortive.
Malik further stated that the board tried to locate the address of her guarantor in Sango area of Ibadan without any success.
“Up till this moment, neither her guarantor nor any of her relations has come to ask questions about her,” he added.
The chairman also said a total of N24, 628, 900.09, was refunded to the pilgrims before their departure to Saudi Arabia due to the reduction in Hajj fare.
He called on the government to renew the rent for Oyo House in Makkah with effect from January 2020 and also urged the governor to study and act on the recommendations in the report in order to have hitch-free operation during subsequent pilgrimage.
In his remarks, the governor commended the chairman and the board members for a successful Hajj operation.
He assured the board that the recommendations would be studied and acted upon for smooth Hajj operation in 2020.