Hajj stampede: Sokoto donates N69m to victims

Sokoto - Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has announced a donation of N69 million to the 138 victims from the state, involved in the September Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia.

The beneficiaries who got N500 000 each, were families of the dead, injured and missing pilgrims.

This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Sokoto by Imam Imam, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and made available to newsmen.
A breakdown showed that 114 pilgrims were confirmed dead, 22 still missing, while the two who were injured are currently receiving treatment.

According to the statement, the governor announced the donation when he received the report of the 2015 State Hajj Committee, led by the Deputy Governor, Ahmed Aliyu.

Tambuwal was quoted as saying, "even though the government cannot compensate the families for the loss of their loved ones, the gesture was in fulfillment of the promise I made when the tragedy occurred in September, this year.''

The governor also promised that the state government would continue to put in place measures that would enhance the Hajj, by boosting safety and logistics of the pilgrims.

In his remarks, Aliyu said that pilgrims from the state exhibited good conduct while in the Holy Land.

He appealed to the government to sustain the state feeding programme for pilgrims at transit camps at home and abroad

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