On Friday June 27, 2014 at the Maiduguri airport, Borno
State, the Nigerian military barred 278
Islamic pilgrims headed for the Umrah pilgrimage from boarding a flight. In a
separate development, the military also stopped Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume from
taking a flight out of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. The military
prohibited the senator and other pilgrims from boarding the chartered aircraft
and forced both flights to take off from the Maiduguri airport with empty
seats. The military ordered the plane to take off empty, leaving behind all eight persons, including the two lawmakers who were scheduled to board the flight to Abuja.
One of the frustrated pilgrims said that
he and the others intended to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah.
Another source disclosed that Governor Kashim Shettima had intervened to enable
the pilgrims to fly, but his efforts yielded no results.
Skynet International Limited, a hajj and Umrah operator, had
chartered an airline to convey the pilgrims to their destination, but as the
278 pilgrims, who had undergone security checks, waited to board the plane, the
military issued what one source described as “a strange orders” directing the
plane to take off empty. The military then directed the pilgrims to travel five
hours by road to the Kano airport through the often-unsafe
Maiduguri-Damaturu-Potiskum Road.
Military officials at the airport cited orders from the
chief of air staff to immediately close the Maiduguri airport to commercial
aircraft. The military said the action was for security reasons. Its officials ignored
explanations by officials of Borno State Government, including Governor
Shettima, that it was risky for the pilgrims to travel by road to Kano,
especially given past instances of attacks along the route.
The military also waved off explanations by the management
of Skynet, which chartered the airline, that it had written to Nigeria’s
aviation officials as well as military and other security authorities about its
flight arrangements, and had received proper authorization. The firm also
reportedly reminded the military officials that the firm’s previous operations
went hitch-free, even in 2011, 2012 and 2013 when Boko Haram insurgency in
Maiduguri was intense.
As tension rose, Governor Shettima sent the secretary to the
state government, Baba Ahmed Jidda, to address the pilgrims and calm them down.
Afterwards, the pilgrims left in numerous buses driving through the night in
order not to miss the inaugural from Kano to Saudi Arabia.
The dust had hardly settled down when the military also
barred Senator Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, from
boarding an aircraft chartered by the Borno State government. The 8-seater
aircraft had arrived in Maiduguri with some state government officials from
Abuja. It was supposed to take off to Abuja with eight passengers, including
the senator and a member of the House of Representatives.
8 Comments
Dias a certain degree of madness in naija now
ReplyDeleteWat for?
ReplyDeleteThr must be a reason
ReplyDeleteAftr d missing aircraft dat tuk off frm Kano airport, dia must major fear yo allow pple board in far north
ReplyDeleteAftr d missing aircraft dat tuk off frm Kano airport, dia must major fear yo allow pple board in far north
ReplyDeleteI fink it's a gud decision
ReplyDeleteDias terrorism in d land..so security measures shod be placed in every tin
ReplyDeleteToo bad
ReplyDelete