Not less than 717 people were killed and 863 injured at the Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
According to the Saudi Civil Defence Service, the stampede broke out during the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual.
Several Nigerians are believed to have been killed in the stampede, which occurred in Mina.
A journalist with the Voice of American, Nasir Adamu el-Hikaya,
revealed to Thisday, that many of the Nigerian victims were from Lagos,
Kastina and Borno states.
He was quoted to have said:
“Many Nigerians are involved, I mean those killed and injured. The
Chairman of the Borno State Pilgrims Board, Professor Tijjani Almiskin, a
prominent Nigerian female journalist, Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf, and a member of
the Nigerian medical team, Dr. Hafsat Shittu, were among many Nigerians
killed in the Mina stampede.”
“As I speak to you (7.30 local time), officials of the National Hajj
Commission of Nigeria and health workers are still gathering the figures
and we are waiting for the chairman of the commission to brief us.”
profession and a political scientist by training. She received a B.Sc. in
political science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and an M.A. in political
science from the University of Wisconsin, USA. he studied journalism at the Moscow Institute for Journalism
and International Relations and earned an advanced diploma in journalism and
international relations.
Her previous work experience includes working in the Ministry of Information,
Kano; editor of Sunday Triumph, Kano; editor of New Nigerian, Kaduna, and
editor of Citizen Magazine, Kaduna.
Bilkisu was also a columnist for Daily Trust and LEADERSHIP newspapers. She was
a founding member of several NGOs, including Women In Nigeria (WIN), the
Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), and Advocacy
Nigeria, where she was the executive director.
She was a consultant and trainer in media, gender and conflict management and
peace building. She was on the board of FOMWAN, the Nigerian Interfaith Action
Association Against Malaria (NIFAAM), Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria
(HERFON), ABANTU for Development, Vision Trust Foundation, and many others.
