Nigeria: Nine Pilgrims Die in Saudi Arabia

Tweet

Makkah — Head of the National Hajj Commission in Medina, Dr Bello Tambuwal, yesterday said that the number of Nigerian pilgrims who have died in the holy land has increased to nine.

Tambuwal, in a telephone chat with our correspondent said the pilgrims were from Kebbi, Kano, Katsina and Bauchi states. He said apart from the Bauchi pilgrim who died after falling from a high rise building, the others died from illnesses.

He added that to ensure that medical services are available to the pilgrims, the Nigerian mission is operating two clinics in Medina, and that they render 24 hour service. He said the commission is working with the medical teams of state pilgrims' boards to ensure that priority attention is given to the health needs of pilgrims.

In another development, the director of traffic in the holy city, Brig. Mishaal Al-Maghrabi, announced earlier that old minibuses will be prevented from transporting pilgrims due to the vehicles' unreliability. He then set up a tripartite committee to monitor the minibuses and prevent them from roaming the streets of Makkah.

our correspondent observed that a number of minibus drivers have refused to withdraw their vehicles from the streets despite the announcement. To protest the decision, the drivers blocked the Hajj street for more than three hours, and it took security agents to bring the situation under control.

Read more...

Nigeria: Police Breaks Up Church Protest

Tweet

The prompt intervention of the police prevented what could have turned into bloody confrontation at the ECWA Gospel Church Karu, Abuja Sunday morning.

The members of the church were protesting the planned removal of the parish pastor over sexual misconduct by a delegation from the church's District Council Church, DCC.

Trouble started when a faction of the church interrupted the Sunday service demanding that the delegation from the DCC shelve its planned announcement removing the pastor, Rev DA Gyet over allegation of sexual impropriety with his female househelp.

The aggrieved group protested that he was not given fair hearing before his punishment was meted out.

The service ended in chaos when members of the visiting panel were forcibly ejected from the church premises.

The police and some elders subsequently had a hectic time calming frayed nerves and curbing pockets of violence on the church premises.

An aide of the embattled church head told our reporter that the victim in question was a lady of questionable character who had been linked to similar controversies in the past.

"We all know the girl Asabe as a person of loose moral values. We also know she is not a truthful person. She has even confessed that the pastor is innocent of the allegations levelled at him. But they have swept her confession under the carpet.

She is being used by some powerful persons at the district council who want to remove the reverend by all means and place their own candidate at the head of the church.

Presently the girl making the accusation is nowhere to be found but they are still going ahead to remove the pastor even though he has not been allowed to appeal the verdict as allowed by church rules. We will resist this totally," he said.

After the delegation left in disarray, the elders of the church appealed to the police to leave the premises so that they could settle the issue amicably.

But one of the senior police officers on ground insisted the police would remain until peace was restored.

Read more...

Nigeria: Suicide Bomber Attacks Bauchi Church - Kills Two Injures 46

Tweet

Bauchi — A suicide bomber today attacked Saint John's Catholic Church Bauchi opposite Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium killing two people and injuring 46.

The attack was the third attack in two weeks.

Nine people were killed by unknown gunmen in Zango village last Sunday, and last Monday ex-Comptroller General of Prisons Ibrahim Jarma was shot dead together along with his orderly after he came out from the mosque near his house in Azare.

Deputy Police Public Relations Officer Hassan Mohammed Auyo confirmed the death of two persons and the 46 injured.

"...when a suicide bomber targeted the church, he was prevented and instead he detonated his explosives in the parking lot killing one person and among the injured victims taken to the hospital a boy between the ages of six to eight died while receiving treatment."

ASP Hassan said the bomber came in an Opel Vectra. Among the injured persons were two policemen deployed to protect the church.

An eye witness told Daily Trust that the bomber tried to gain entrance to the church but when he failed he detonated his explosives in a car park killing himself and one woman.

According to him, "we came out from training inside the stadium. We had just passed the church when we heard a loud sound followed by fire and smoke. We had to run for our lives."

Witnesses said Police and Army personnel cordoned off the area while rescue agents evacuated the victims to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi.

Read more...