The final batch of Nigerian pilgrims for the 2024 Hajj are set to depart the King Abdul Azeez International Airport in Jeddah on the morning of July 16, 2024, marking the successful conclusion of this year’s pilgrimage.

A total of 312 pilgrims from Kwara State will arrive in Ilorin, aboard an Air Peace airline flight. This flight signifies the 119th return trip from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria.

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During the first phase of the Hajj operation, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) ran a total of 121 flights, which has now been reduced to 119 flights for the return journey. This was attributed to the maximum utilization of seats during the return journeys.

The return phase has been completed three days ahead of the initially scheduled end date of July 19, 2024.

According to Fatima Sanda Usara, Assistant Director/Public Affairs for the Chairman/CEO, NAHCON, the commission’s chartered airlines took 27 days to transport all pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, while the return journey took 25 days. 

Over the course of these operations, 47,171 pilgrims were transported to Saudi Arabia, and 50,091 have returned to Nigeria within the same timeframe.

At a closing ceremony held at the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah, Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, the NAHCON Chairman, expressed his gratitude for the smooth completion of the Hajj operations. He praised the cooperation of stakeholders and the prayers of the pilgrims for their leaders.

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Arabi urged the pilgrims to continue praying for their leaders and to maintain their exemplary conduct, describing this year’s Hajj as a promise fulfilled. He also assured that preparations for the 2025 Hajj have already begun.

Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, the Amirul Hajj for Kwara State, thanked the NAHCON Chairman for his prompt responses to issues and appreciated the efficient processing of visas and the comfortable stay in Madinah.