The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board says it has barred four pregnant women from traveling to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Muslim pilgrimage.
“The affected women were detected during the mandatory pregnancy screening exercise,” Alhaji Nuhu Badamasi, its Public Relations Officer, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kano.
According to him, pregnant women are usually not allowed to travel for the Hajj exercise in view of its rigorous nature.
He advised female intending pilgrims, who have yet to attend the mandatory screening, to do so before the commencement of movement.
Badamasi warned that female intending pilgrims, who refused to attend the ongoing pregnancy test, would not be allowed to travel.
“There is no way to escape the screening; if a woman refuses to go for it, there is another screening before boarding the aircraft at the Airport,” he pointed out.
He said that the transportation of intending pilgrims from Kano would commence between Aug. 6 and Aug. 7.
According to him, Azman and Max Airlines are expected to transport the 6,607 intending pilgrims from the state to Saudi Arabia for the 2017 Hajj.
He said that Max Air would transport 3,607 pilgrims, while Azman Air would convey 3,000.
Badamasi said that the board had already forwarded 2,000 international passports of intending pilgrims to the Saudi Arabia Consulate in Kano, for the issuance of visa.
The official disclosed that 5,400 intending pilgrims had so far completed the payment of the Hajj fares, adding that the board was still collecting the balance of the payment from other intending pilgrims. (NAN)