A female pilgrim from Zamfara State has delivered a baby while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, breaching the medical screening protocols set by the country and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), which prohibit expectant mothers from participating in the religious trip.
The woman, who bypassed the mandatory pregnancy screening conducted by NAHCON before departure, gave birth shortly after arriving in the holy land for the year’s Hajj.
The incident has raised concern among Muslims and prompted a stern reaction from NAHCON’s Commissioner for Planning, Research and Information, Abubakar Yagawal, who addressed the situation while speaking with journalists in Medina.
According to Yagawal, the pilgrim’s action constituted a serious breach of established medical protocols and posed potential risks to both her life and that of the newborn.
He emphasized that such lapses compromise the integrity of the Hajj medical screening process, which is designed to ensure the safety and well-being of all pilgrims.
“This unfortunate incident underscores the need for more rigorous health checks, particularly for female pilgrims,” Yagawal said. “The Commission will work closely with state handlers to strengthen the screening process to prevent such breaches in the future.”
While acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the NAHCON official stopped short of placing full responsibility on the Zamfara State Pilgrims Welfare Board, suggesting that multiple factors might have contributed to the failure in detection.
“Though I was not holding a brief for any state pilgrims board, nonetheless, other factors, or variables could result in such breaches,” he noted.
In addition to addressing the childbirth case, Yagawal raised concerns about the growing number of extortionists and fraudsters targeting Nigerian pilgrims in Medina. He expressed dismay at the immoral behaviour of those who exploit fellow Muslims in the holy land.
“It’s disheartening and disgusting for a Muslim to be brazenly heartless as to commit these atrocities in the holy land,” he said.
He further urged pilgrims to exercise caution with their valuables, including Basic Travel Allowance (BTA), sacrificial funds (Hadaya), and precious items like gold and silver, to avoid being swindled.
“We would continue to educate the pilgrims on how to avoid these cheats, swindlers and extortionists by ensuring that they are discreet when it comes to their Basic Traveling Allowance, BTA, Hadaya and gold or silver teething,” Yagawal added.
