The Sokoto State delegation to the 2013 Hajj Pilgrimage on Saturday in Sokoto said one of its male pilgrims, Amadu Achida, has died in Saudi Arabia.
Labaran Dundaye, the Chairman of the delegation’s Publicity Committee, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview.
He said the 70-year-old Achida, died on Oct. 16 at Muna, two days after observing the Arafat.
“Achida, who hailed from Wurno Local Government of Sokoto State, died after the Arafat which is considered to be the peak of the annual Islamic pilgrimage,’’ Dundaye said.
The delegation official, who is also the Chairman of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said the deceased died after a brief illness.
“The incident took place at Muna, near Makkah, two days after the Arafat and he was complaining of minor body pains and other bodily discomforts.
“Shortly after, he was confirmed dead, and this made him so far the only pilgrim from the state who died during this year’s Hajj exercise,’’ he said.
Dundaye said Achida’s remains had since been buried by the Saudi authorities at Makkah, after a funeral prayer at the Grand Mosque at the Ka’abah.
He however said all the remaining pilgrims from the state were hale and hearty, while the family of the deceased had since been duly informed about his demise.(NAN)