Sultan, others seek probe of Saudi tragedy

•Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar

The Sultan of  Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, and President General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) yesterday told Saudi authorities to probe the stampede in which 768 pilgrims died in Mina during the stoning of the devil.

Iran, which lost over 100 of its citizens in the stampede and the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), also yesterday insisted on a probe of the incident.

The Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency confirmed the death of Sheikh Liman Dan-Ata, the Chief Imam of the Sultan Abubakar III Jumaa’at Mosque in Sokoto.

Also dead are the immediate Caretaker Chairman of Illela Local Government Area of the state, Alhaji Bello Gidan-Hamma, his mother, step-mother and two wives.

The Media Assistant to the agency, Alhaji Farouk Umar, said yesterday that many pilgrims from the state were still missing.

Nine other pilgrims from the state were confirmed dead on Saturday by Imam Imam,  Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s spokesman.

The Sultan expressed sadness over the number of victims and prayed for the repose of their souls.

“This is one tragedy too many,” the Sultan said in a statement signed on his behalf by the Secretary-General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, in Kaduna.

The Sultan expressed heart-felt condolences with the families of the victims of the tragedy, calling on the Muslim Ummah never to be deterred but remain steadfast despite the challenges confronting them.

“It was gratifying that the Saudi authorities were doing all they could to make the hajj operation smooth the way it should be,” the JNI noted, adding that “ investigation into what led to the tragedy is necessary”.

He maintained that an investigation into the stampede has become necessary to guard against a reccurrence.

The statement added: “With humility and total submission to Allah the Exalted, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto and the Muslim President-General, condoles with heavy heart with Muslim ummah (Community) over the Jamarat stampede pilgrims while completing the rites of Hajj in one of the tragedy, which led to the loss of several lives of sites of the worship in Saudi Arabia.

“This is one tragedy too many. JNI shares the pains and worries the families of the affected victims are passing through and them to patiently persevere, and put their trust in Allah.

“Despite this and other painful trials, our faith in Allah is unshaken. Therefore, we call on each and every Muslim to remain focused and firm in his/her belief and engage in acts that will bring them closer to Allah.

“It is indeed gratifying that the Saudi authorities have been doing everything humanly possible to make the Hajj as smooth as it should be, but we still call on them to investigate the Jamarat stampede in

order to avert future occurrence.” JNI asserted.

The leader of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Shiekh Ibaheem El-Zakzaky, blamed the tragedy on the Saudi prince’s convoy, which reportedly caused panic among the pilgrims.

He said the prince and others fingered in the tragedy should be sentenced to death.

El-Zakzaky, who spoke in Zaria at the weekend, argued that the management of the hajj was not the exclusive preserve of the Al-Saud royal family.

“The Al-Saud family cannot be trusted when its hands are soaked with Muslims’ blood in countries such as Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq and Syria,” El-Zakzaky said.

He insisted that the Al-Saud prince be punished by death “as they caused the death of thousands of innocent pilgrims”.

The cleric, who addressed his faithful as part of activities to mark the Sallah, said:”For the government of Saudi Arabia to blame pilgrims for killing themselves is ridiculous and a form of human degradation, which is also criminal.

“They are saying this in order to cover up the real cause of the tragedy. If the Saudi government could describe the crane tragedy at the precincts of the holy Ka’abah as accidental, we wonder why the crane will be left hanging over the heads of millions of pilgrims, and only to crash on them on September 11.

“The Saudi authorities cannot fool the world or exonerate themselves from the heinous crime and monumental tragedy as the world knows who is killing their brethren in Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq and Syria.”

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani yesterday used a speech at the United Nations (UN) to call for an investigation into Thursday’s stampede at the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The incident is the deadliest to hit the Hajj in 25 years, with 769 people dead, more than 130 of them from Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused the Iranians of playing politics with a tragedy.

The country’s most senior cleric defended the authorities, saying the stampede was “beyond human control”.

King Salman has ordered a safety review into the disaster.

Mr Rouhani described the crush as “heart-rending”. As well as the fatalities, 934 people were injured.

But Mr Jubeir, who is also in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, said: “I believe that the Iranians should know better than to play politics with a tragedy that has befallen people who were performing their most sacred religious duty.”

Iran’s outrage also has political motivations, as its battle with Saudi Arabia for regional influence sharpens week by week