Saudi stampede, a monumental tragedy -Buhari
President
Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said he was deeply saddened by the tragedy
which occurred on Thursday in Saudi Arabia, claiming the lives of
hundreds of pilgrims, including some Nigerians.
In a
statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba
Shehu, the President, who is currently attending the 70th session of the
United Nations General Assembly in New York, described the stampede at
Mina, in which a notable Nigerian journalist, Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf,
Prof. Tijjani El-Miskin and others lost their lives as a monumental
tragedy, not only for citizens of the countries involved, but for the
global Islamic community.
He
extended his condolences to the families of the over 700 pilgrims who
lost their lives in the disaster which occurred less than two weeks
after a crane collapse in Mecca claimed more than a hundred lives.
The
statement read in part, “President Buhari commiserates with the Nigerian
Guild of Editors and the Nigerian Union of Journalists on the sad loss
of Hajiya Bilkisu, an exemplary, dedicated, knowledgeable, very
credible, highly-respected, outstanding editor and columnist who, even
in death, will remain a glittering role model for journalists, within
and outside Nigeria.
“The
President has taken note of the assurance by the Government of Saudi
Arabia that Thursday’s catastrophe will be investigated and urges King
Salman to ensure a comprehensive and thorough exercise that will
identify any flaws in Hajj organisation with a view to avoiding a
recurrence of such tragedies during the annual pilgrimage.
“In the
knowledge that it is not within our powers to question the will of God,
President Buhari prays that Almighty Allah will comfort the families
who lost their beloved ones in the stampede and receive the souls of all
those who died in the Holy Land while fulfilling the religious
obligation of the Hajj.”
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