The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency says the movement of pilgrims to the tent city of Muna will commence at 10 p.m. as Hajj rites begin on Friday, June 14, 2024.

Addressing pilgrim officers on Thursday, the Director of Operations, Abubakar Usman Yusuf, disclosed that the area earmarked for Kaduna State pilgrims has been demarcated in Muna.

Abubakar enjoined pilgrims to be orderly, in order to ensure their quick conveyance to Muna, adding that they should also be organised when they will be moved to Arafat on Saturday.

According to him, the agency has already sent a 25-member advance team to Muna, comprising preachers, medical personnel, and welfare guides, as well as members of the security committee.

The director noted that the 25-member team will receive the first batch of pilgrims and “ensure that pilgrims are settled in the tents of their respective local governments.”

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He further stated that the advance team would proceed to Arafat by midnight to make similar arrangements that would facilitate a seamless operation.

Abubakar recalled that Kaduna State bagged an award for orderly conduct during the last pilgrimage for the movements from Makkah to Muna, Muna to Arafat, and Muzdaleefah before sunset.

“Let us replicate what we did last year by ensuring that our pilgrims are moved on time and in an orderly manner. We have delineated spaces for all the local governments; there are separate tents for women and male pilgrims,” he added.

Abubakar urged all registration officers to ensure that their pilgrims have Nusuk cards because “the Saudi Arabian authorities are bent on preventing anyone that doesn’t have the card, from entering Muna and other worship places.”

According to him, authorities want to prevent the infiltration of illegal pilgrims who are resident in Saudi Arabia to avert the overstretching of facilities in Muna as it happened last year.

The Star