Number Of Nigerian Hajj Women Held By Saudis Now Reaches 1000

Nigerian women boarding the flight to Saudi Arabia- Photo Creit: NAN
By SaharaReporters, New York

Nigerian officials are desperately seeking the release of up to 1,000 Muslim women held in a Saudi airport jail for traveling without approved chaperones.

The women, some of whom have been held since Sunday, had been enroute to make the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
 
Nigeria's ambassador to Saudi Arabia told the BBC the authorities were stopping women under the age of 35.
 
Diplomats pressed into service from Abuja were stumped by the development as there had been an understanding in the past that Nigerian women were exempt from travelling with a male relative - a requirement for women on the Hajj.
 
A longstanding agreement between National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the Saudi authorities allows visas to be issued for Nigerian women going to Mecca as long as they are accompanied by their local Hajj committee officials.
 
But since Sunday, hundreds of Nigerian women have been stopped at the airports in Jeddah and Medina.
 
Nigeria's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Abubakar Shehu Bunu, said he made a formal protest to the foreign affairs office in the capital, Riyadh, today, Wednesday.
 
"They are stopping women particularly between the ages of 25 and 35 without a male relative. Those over 45 are not a concern to the Saudi authorities," he told the BBC's Hausa Service.
 
One woman told the BBC her group were being held in Jeddah not because they were travelling without male relatives but because the surnames on their passports did not correspond with those of their husbands.
 
"Our husbands' names are different from our surnames and they won't allow that," Bilkisu Nasidi, who travelled from the northern Nigerian city of Katsina, told the BBC's Focus on Africa program.
 
She said the hundreds of women were sleeping on the floor, did not have their belongings and were sharing four toilets at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.
 
It is a common practice for Muslim women in Nigeria not to take their husband's name.
 
More than two million Muslims are due to converge on Mecca for this year's Hajj, which is set to culminate over a four-day period somewhere between October 24-29 depending on lunar observations.
 

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I still don't know why lots

I still don't know why lots of Nigerian Women living in Saudi

Hajji woman

Sorry oo

Majority of them got married

Majority of them got married to bh members who are already dead thru suicide bombing of churches and worshippers.

Christians championing discussion

There is no need to insult one because he made a comment, there is freedom of speech. You must not fight over every little issue. allow God to fight His battle and not you mortal man fighting for Him.Make your own comment on the way you feel. Thanks

Christians championing Discussion on Islamic Issues...

Its quite funny dt we have xtians championig d discussn about Islamic religion.Its better u keep mute Saudis will definately have reasons for her actns. U'r not a good judge n u can never be idoit pple. Saudi remain d holy land of all muslims.D issue will be solved.I'm sure there ar reasons behind that.ignorant pple.

Those ignorant fools saying

Those ignorant fools saying the govt shuld stop sponsoring religiouse pilgrimages should shut their their stinking mouths and stop advertising their ignorance. Please go and confirm how much each pilgrim pays before going for hajj and see for yourself whether the govt is sponsoring the hajj or making more money for itself. Ignorant fools that talk anyhow.

It's the Hookers, stupid!

"They are stopping women particularly between the ages of 25 and 35 without a male relative" - Amb. Shehu Bunu.

It's a known fact that some Nigerian women who sneak into Saudi Arabia ostensibly for Hajj end up in brothels and street corners as prostitutes. Most of the hookers there are Nigerian women who assumed Muslim names for the hajj but truely in search for greener grass. Who can blame them since Nigeria has gone to the wolves. The criminal PDP cabal has ruined what the bootlegs left of our homeland. Naijas are baking in the desert heat, those who make it across drown off the Spanish coast. Back home, the unfortunate 99% are dying like flies at the hands of the Bokos. It's animal kingdom. If sleeping on the termac will eventually lead them into the "promised land", then so be it. No need backing down, those women should enter Saudi...or die trying. It's called "survival of the fittest" and wallahi, I trust our hookers!

i wil start by calin

i wil start by calin u"wawa"don't u know 4 wivies under Ahj ar beter than 1 under Okoro who can not take gud care of her as Ahj does 2 his 4 wavies,b/c non of the 4 go farm 2 for farmin or goes 2 market 2 sel tomatoes &fish or evin go for another woman's husban 2 feed themselve....oh no wander prostitution is high in ur community,so zip up ur dirty mouth against our women or u wil tel us how many prostitute u hav in ur community b/4 we say it out b/c we hav their record "kajiko da oga"

Mediocrity!

This senseless trips should be abandoned.Why are we so naive or for how long shall we remain slaves in the name of religion.I presume religion should be a personal thing between you and your god and not an avenue for slavery.Why should Nigeria government be wasting money that should otherwise be used for feeding the poor children and jobless on useless trips to Jerusalem or mecca.What effect has the previous trips had on our politicians?.why cant our leaders apply sense for once and bring up opinions/suggestions in the house of rep/assembly that will emancipate people from all these archaic mentality and perpetual slavery and idiocy.If you intend going for holy pilgrimage,do it out of your pocket and you will be more justified.Let this waste stop.

You just took the words out

You just took the words out of my hand. Am supprised when i learned that most muslim women dont addopt their husbands name(lie).

hehehe

aboki gram--------------mar

Detention of hajj prostitutes

Prophet Mohammed should intervene

Rubbish

The saudi govt knows quite well that these women coming from nigeria are muslim prostitutes who are there for prostitution. Therefore, they should be deported immediately. No more complains.

You are the one that is a

You are the one that is a "bloody slave",jst because we have a few illiterates that spoil the name of our religion does not make you any sacred...in case you don't knw,going for hajj is one of the pillers of being muslim.Islam teaches us to respect other religions,except those that chose not to understand that part.so pls respect ours

wait a second , women of all

wait a second , women of all ages have been performing hajj for decades . why the change now , and why particularly nigeria ? . and who said women in the noth dont adopt their husbands names ?? , lie ! . the ones who have discrepancies with names are not wives , these are the concubines . see what corruption has done to our country ? . not even when it comes to religion do they repent . they are even complaining about the number of toilets ? , was there any toilet at any of the nigerian airport ?. I bet you , the lady complaining is not a wife , na girl friend to one oga , they go there to shop , saudi government should send them back to their camp (nigeria ).when will nigeria ever be a country with leaders ?.

Nigerian Muslim hypocrisy...

I have a renewed abhorrence for the so-called Nigerian leaders - this time the Muslim leaders. They have failed their religion, their race and country. A Yoruba Christian, I take great exception to Nigeria women, Muslim or not, being treated in such a manner. Some may think they are mere plebeians, but they represent our sisters, daughters and mothers, and such an incidence is a true reflection of the failings of our leaders. No matter how wealthy these leaders appear to be, their names will always be scorned because their homes are covered in shame?

Nigerian Muslim leaders are as crooked as all the other thieving miscreants that litter positions of authority all over the country. They all use religion to serve their own purpose but not to serve God, because to serve God is to serve his children. Shame on you all for the shame you have visited upon our nation. Someday the masses will see you all for what you truly are, and bring their wrath upon your households. SOMEDAY!!

Make Your Own Land Holy

Can't God Answer their prayers in Nigeria? Bloody slaves!! Make your own cities and towns as holy as mecca.

This is nothing but wickedness

Our govt should wake up to their responsibility & protect the right of her citizens that found themselves in foreign land legitimately. Our govt should not allow countries that are not better than us treat us like animals in their territory. Saudi govt should be made to apologizes to our mothers and sisters that were maltreated.

The reason is from past bad

The reason is from past bad experiences.young single women on Pilgrims are turning the holy land into a sex pool

let the christian illitrates keep their stinkin mouth shut.

Am rlly amazed as how narrow minded n stupid some of d previous commentators have been.Islam,Hajj and Saudi Arabia are definately off your limits,you are nothing but a generation of ignoramuses n mumus when it comes to that aspect.So your useless and foolish comments are nothing but a portrayal of your stupidity.pls keep off n mind ur asses!

RE: Yeah, this comment really helps their situation

You are no more than a Yoruba thug who sees nothing wrong when hundreds of black women are being treated like subhuman beings in an Arab nation. Where do I start: chad, niger, sudan, Oyo, Ibadan, Kwara, sumalia, or libya? The fate of every black woman is the same: a sex slave to be exploited and treated like an animal. Your mother is probably among the women in the picture, because this is the life most of you know in Oyo.

An animal like you creates the situation for these women and you know it. Obasanjo had more than 16 years in public offices to help your kind and to help these women. What did he do? What did he contribute to uplifting or degrading the dignity of all black women? Yoruba and people of your stock exactly created the problems the black women in the pictures are having today and you know it.

Yeah, this comment really helps their situation.

Who are you to make generalizations about a continent of such varied cultures and traditions and dismiss all of its men as animals?

SAUDI ARABIA CONSIDERS BLACK NIGERIAN MUSLIMS INFERIOR

If those women came from Kuwait,a phone call from the Kuwaiti foreign minister will set them free.The average Arab considers Muslims from sub-saharan Africa fake muslims,they prefer their dogs to black Muslims,we all saw what happened in Lybia when Gadaffi was removed.
We are yet to witness any violence or even protests in Saudi-Arabia since the despicable video was released,but others who they consider impostor Muslims are busy killing and maiming.
The extremist Muslims here at home have some soul searching to do,it's time to face facts after all it's supposed to be the same Islam.

SHAME

Just knew that muslim women in NIGERIA do not adopt their husband's name. Nigeria we hail thee as all the pretence about sharia and all the associated noise are all sham. Shame to the muslim leaders for their foul holier than holy attitudes. Thank God they have all be repatriated

Oh well

Whatever the reason,latest report is that the women have been repatriated back to Nigeria.They landed at Kano airport this afternoon.Bless them.

@Aboki Abdul, you have a loooong way to catch up, sorry.

"America can only envy saudi"
___________________

Aboki Abdul,
Do you really understand the meaning of the word envy? Americans envy of saudi for what. For saving Saudi from being ran over by Saddam Hussen or what? For running their hospitals, schools, oil, retail stores for them? For winning all the gold medals in olympics? Envy for what aboki?

It is a shame

year in year out the Saudi authorities battle with Nigerian women on two fronts (1)Some went to prostitute themsleves (2) Some of those will never come back. When they overstay they also rent rooms in their madams houses where they service men. The madam will take the girls to shopping mall from there they hook up with the guy and return back to the same house for action. You know in Saudi single girls must always have a chaperone, when they finish they do same thing at another mall and the girl is back home. You can see they are stopping under 35s. They are mostly Ashawos and they are spoiling macca and islam. Some go to bahrain where Saudi men go to booze and shag!

African Men - Shame on you!

No matter how you view these women, African men have failed their black women.

How many Saudi women come to your nations yearly and get dumped in your airports like this?

This why Saudi people have electricity, water, order, schools, and roads while you animals have none of these basic things!

Govt. sponsoring Religious pilgrimage bad for the economy!

Part of the problem is why going to the so called holy land in the first place. You wonder why government should be sponsoring religious pilgrimage when it has nothing to do with economic progress!
Nigeria government cannot feed half of its citizens yet the same government is sponsoring religious prilgrimage to other countries for the good of the host economies against one's own economy.
Where is the economic value in government sponsoring religious pilgrimage?

Women in holy land

Sincerely dont blame the Saudi' only if you know what these womem go to do in the guise of a Holy pilgrimage. All they go to practice is Prostitution. So its better to hold them there and deport than further desecrate the holy land

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