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As an eyewitness of the tragic stampede in Mina, what would you say went wrong?
What happened was this: there is usually a system with which pilgrims enter through the venue on the day of Jumrah. Jumrah is the day of stoning the Devil. Thus, when you go on your route; after stoning the Devil, you return by taking a detour which means you don’t take the same route back. When that system is followed there will be enough room for those coming to perform the same pilgrim’s rite and that allows for enough room for people to move without hindrance or stampede. But on that fateful Thursday (when the stampede occurred), September 24; when we were going to the Jumrah, we found that the place was overcrowded and it was quite unusual.
We performed this rite last year; we did it the year before that and the road was free. For the past 10 years there had been no pandemonium; and no stampede on that road. It (stampede) used to happen almost every year in the past, but for the past 10 years, the Saudi authorities have been able to control the human traffic, by creating different routes for entry and exit of the place. But, on that fateful day, we found out that some of those who had thrown their own stones made a U-turn instead of moving ahead to take a detour. They came through the route meant for entrance and not exit. They came towards us. They were in a very large group and the road was not spacious enough to allow a free flow of those of us coming to throw stones at the Devil and those who had stoned the Devil. The road could not take those coming and those going. And I discovered that most of those who took the wrong way were Egyptians…
How did you know they were Egyptians?
I knew they were Egyptians because I heard them speak the Egyptian dialect of Arabic. And, of course, I studied in Egypt for five years. I know the dialect. Knowing that the road would not contain those of us going to perform the Hajj rite and the Egyptians who had already done theirs, we pleaded with them, we tried to persuade them to take the right route to avoid any ugly incident but they refused; the reason being that their camp was based close to the venue of the stoning. And if they were asked to take the other way round to their camp, it would take them a long time to do so. They forgot that by facing us, they constituted themselves into a threat to life — too many lives and their own lives as well. Even if we had attempted to go back for them to pass through, it would have been impossible because a mass of pilgrims had built up and we were pushing one another. The road became narrower and breathing became difficult. In the commotion, the Saudi police after noticing that the situation was getting out of hand climbed roofs of buildings and started splashing cold water on the crowd so that it could give us some comfort — because at that point, people were already tired and collapsing. They had walked 10km from Monzabizah to Mina and from Mina they were walking another three kilometres to the Jumrah. At some point, we had to stand still. We tried to move to one side but it was impossible to do so as people coming from behind were pushing us forward. Consequently, we were forced to push those in front of us. I think it was just a few minutes that my group passed through the opposing crowds that the stampede began. I knew it was a tragedy waiting to happen.
Were there other factors that led to the tragic chaos?
There are other roads usually dedicated for moving in and out of the site but unfortunately on that day those roads were blocked by the Saudi security agencies for no obvious reasons. Why those roads were blocked I cannot explain; therefore, there was no escape route. It was just that one way and those who were facing us had occupied it. Besides, one major reason why that horrible stampede happened was that those who took the wrong route and disobeyed the authorities were able to do so because the Saudi security authorities became negligent; they were complacent. The security men were not at their posts when the commotion began. Saudi soldiers and policemen used to be at the Jumrah to ensure that once pilgrims have performed the stoning rite, they cannot use the same route in which they came in. If the soldiers and policemen had disallowed those who had finished stoning the Devil from using the entry route as the exit, the stampede would have been avoided.
But the Saudi authorities said Africans, which included Nigerians, who embarked on the stoning rite caused the stampede. How true is that?
The Saudi authorities lied by saying that the African nations, and black Africans, were responsible for the stampede. And, I should add that by African nations, they mean the blacks; Cameroonians, Nigeriens, Chadians, Nigerians and others that caused it. They don’t refer to Egyptians, Moroccans, Libyans, Tunisians and others as Africans. Rather, they call them Arabs. In their statements, they usually refer to these countries (Egypt, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia) as Arab nations. And, our camps have always been separated from those of the camps of the Arab nations. The Egyptians were not in the African camp. The African camp was different; our location was different. It is still different today. To support our hypothesis that this was what caused the stampede, the next day after the Saudi authorities saw the stampede and the monumental loss of lives and properties they had caused, they made sure that they brought so many security agents as much as possible to the appropriate points stopping those who had performed the rite of stoning the Devil from returning to their camps through the route they came in. Therefore, on the second and third day of stoning the Devil, there was adequate security personnel to ensure that people who were going to stone the Devil were not blocked or hindered by those who were returning after having performed their own rite. Thus, they did not allow on the second day, those same Egyptians or people from other countries to create the fatal chaos we experienced on the first day, from using the entrance as exit route. In spite of the deaths recorded people still went ahead to perform their rites the second and third day and the road was free. I would say it was laxity on the part of Saudi security agencies that caused the stampede.
From your estimate, what’s the total number of Nigerian pilgrims in Mecca?
Actually, it is the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria that is in possession of the accurate number. I am not authorised to speak on behalf of NAHCON, but I will guess something between 77, 000 or thereabout and an extra 15, 000 or 13, 000 who came privately through international private travel agencies and international routes (like England, Canada, United States, Italy, etc).
What’s the death toll now by MURIC’s reckoning?
We have to rely on the figure given by NAHCON. The commission had given us officially a figure of 56 recorded deaths. I, also as a pilgrim assistant under NAHCON, have to rely on that figure for the fact that there is no access to the mortuary except through NAHCON.
Do you have figures of injured people who are Nigerians?
Like the death toll, the number of injured people can only be obtained through NAHCON.
There was a picture of a seriously injured Nigerian woman circulated on various social media platforms. Did you see it and do you know the identity of the woman, as those who may know her are being asked to come forward?
It’s a very difficult situation. Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi are really distressed at the moment. We had seen NAHCON officials and those of us who are pilgrim assistants do their best to calm the distraught Nigerian pilgrims and ensure that they are comfortable. Those injured are being taken care of and are being visited in the hospitals by NAHCON officials. We don’t know the exact location of the hospital the woman you referred to is in. I think NAHCON officials had been contacted and the Internet picture had been shown to them and we believe that before the close of the day (Wednesday), the Hajj commission officials will locate the hospital and the wounded and find out her identity. It is also important to say that her identity might be difficult to know in case she might have come through the international route.
With lives lost and many wounded, are the NAHCON and MURIC pushing for any compensation from the Saudi authorities?
While I will repeat that I cannot speak for the Nigerian Hajj Commission, it has its officials and its spokesman but I can quote NAHCON from its public statements. The commission had come out very strongly against the Saudi authorities. It had called on the Saudi authorities to involve Nigeria in its investigations of the stampede. The Muslim Rights Concern, that’s our organisation, issued a statement about three days ago (Monday) in which we demanded that the Saudi authorities should compensate all pilgrims who were involved in the stampede (the dead and the wounded). Free medical treatment should be given to the injured. We have demanded in writing that the Saudi authorities should compensate the families of those who died in the stampede. In that stampede, Nigeria lost its crème de la crème of intellectuals. We had a professor, Prof. Tijjanic El-Miskeen and a female editor, Bilkisu Yussuf, a renowned journalist, writer, author and human rights activist among those who died in the stampede. We also lost a man with his two wives. We cannot keep quiet in the face of this great loss. We also put it to the Saudi authorities that they lied as regard the cause of the fatal accident.
What is expected of the Saudi authorities is to apologise to Nigeria and the rest of the world and to admit the laxity in their preparations. And, once laxity is observed, particularly in the area of security, Saudi Arabia being the host should own up. It is a matter of honour; Saudi should own up (to their errors) and apologise to the rest of the Muslim world. We accept Saudi as the leader of the Muslim world because the holy sites of the Muslims are located in that country – in Mecca and Medina. We have nowhere else to go; if Saudi is leading us, it should lead us well. Saudi should rise from this tragic event to include other countries particularly countries with Muslim majorities in future planning and the implementation of the Hajj exercises.
Is there a breakdown of what MURIC is demanding in terms of compensation?
There is no specific amount. What we are demanding is that there should be judicious compensation; it has to be something that is fair enough. All those who died have dependants and some of those who died were intellectuals. The compensation should be calculated on that basis. The compensation should be equally distributed.
MURIC has asked that Saudi Arabia should apologise for the deadly stampede that claimed scores of Nigerian lives. Has the Saudi authorities tendered an apology yet?
No, the Saudi authorities have not done so.
Does this stance have anything to do with their reluctance to compensate the dead and the wounded?
I don’t think the Saudi authorities are reluctant to pay compensation because they have the money and resources to do so. I think what they are concerned about is the way some countries have been criticising them. For instance, in Britain, a British writer called the hajj exercise a death-trap. (As Muslims) we don’t accept such statements. It is antagonistic and not comforting enough. The Muslim world at this point in time needs to be consoled. You also have to consider the role Iran has been playing since the tragedy occurred. You know Iran has been the traditional archrival of Saudi Arabia in the region. Iran may feel deeply concerned because it lost a large number of its nationals, about 130. There is no kaaba elsewhere. I think what the Muslim world should do is to sit down and discuss this issue amicably.
Will the bodies of those who died be repatriated to Nigeria?
As far as the Muslim tradition goes, the dead will be buried in the holy land. Trying to bring back the corpses is double trouble for the dead body. Muslims don’t see anything special about dead bodies. The soul has gone back up to Allah depending on the way a person lived his life. We are not demanding for the dead bodies. Anybody who dies in the holy land, over the years, has always been buried there. In any case, Muslims believe that a dead person should be buried within 48 hours. Hence, we don’t see any wisdom in demanding for the repatriation of the corpses. We don’t see any need for it; and that’s not part of our demand.
When will the burial of the dead Nigerians take place?
Some of them had already been buried; under normal circumstances, all the dead would have been buried by now (Wednesday).
Do you see this tragedy deterring Nigerian Muslims from performing the pilgrimage next year?
That is a ‘50-50’ question. The truly faithful Muslims will not be deterred because we believe that wherever one may live, death will come to one if it is one’s time. If one is afraid to go to Saudi Arabia because of being afraid of dying, death will meet the person in Nigeria when his time comes. We cannot escape death. It will come at anytime that Allah has destined it to come. Muslims have accepted what happened in that general belief.
It is unfortunate this tragedy occurred, but, some have claimed that the whole hajj exercise is a money-spinning venture for Saudi Arabia. What do you make of that?
I don’t believe that Saudi Arabia views the holy pilgrimage as tourism. I have strong conviction that the Saudi authorities believe in what they are doing as a religious duty. Even Christians go on holy pilgrimage –for example, to Jerusalem in Israel even though the Jews may not see it as a religious exercise. Saudi Arabia cannot look at the hajj as a money-spinning venture. No! They know it is an obligation they should fulfill. Muslims must go to Mecca according to Quran chapter 22 Sura Hajj. We must perform hajj, they cannot stop us. They can reduce the number of pilgrims and monitor the exercise. Saudi does not need tourism to feed its citizens. It has enough wealth to ensure that there is social security system for all of its citizens; there is uninterrupted power supply in the country. Education is free there. We must commend the efforts of the Saudi authorities in always making efforts to improve welfare of pilgrims, to improve the standard of hajj performance and to reduce the risks pilgrims are usually exposed to.
What message do you have for Nigerians affected by this tragedy?
We will remind those who lost loved ones in the stampede of a verse in the Quran: ‘Do not assume that those who fell in the path of Allah are dead; they are not.’ They continue to prosper in the bosom of their Lord. It is the wish of many Muslims – millions of Muslims – to die in the holy land; to die very close and be buried very close to their beloved Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him…). This wish has been granted – in a way.
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