MAKKAH: About 500 Nigerian pilgrims carried out a sit-in protest in Al-Mansour Street, close to Al-Mansour Bridge, yesterday to express their anger against the airline company that delayed their return flights to their country.
The pilgrims got angry when the airline failed to give them an exact date for their return flights as they lacked money to meet their daily expenses. The sit-in protest obstructed traffic and closed part of the street leading to Al-Mansour district.
Police patrol teams and Haj Ministry officials reached the area in order to cool protesters and convince them to return to their residences.
Maj. Abdul Mohsen Al-Maiman, spokesman for Makkah police, said it was the responsibility of the Haj Ministry, not of the police, to handle such cases. "Police were present in the area only to facilitate the traffic flow and contain the situation," he said.
Abdullah Bakka, a board member of the Tawafa Establishment for non-Arab African Pilgrims, confirmed that about 500 Nigerian pilgrims who took part in the protest.
"The airline had scheduled the return flight of these pilgrims on Thursday but the flight was delayed for two days," Bakka said. He said his establishment had provided the pilgrims with lunch and dinner yesterday and promised that it would continue to provide them with food throughout their stay in the Kingdom until they board their flights home.
The establishment managed to convince the pilgrims to return to their accommodation after the Isha prayer. Mohammed Bello, head of the Nigerian Haj mission, thanked the organization for its assistance and for providing food to the stranded pilgrims. He said the mission would lodge a complaint against the airline company.
