Zamfara Pilgrim Dies Stoning Devil

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Written by Auwalu Umar, Mecca   
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 05:03

A female pilgrim from Zamfara State, Hajiya Maryam M. Gusau, has died while stoning the Jamrat in Mina. Jamrat stoning is one of hajj rituals in Mina after the Arafat. She died on Saturday while stoning the second Jamrat. 
Maryam’s demise was announced at Zamfara pilgrims’ camp in Mina by  the state Amirul Hajj Alhaji Muhammad Bawa. All pilgrims from the state prayed for the repose of her soul and she had since been buried in Mecca after the funeral prayer at the Grand Mosque.

Her death contradicts the official statement by the head of the federal medical team, Dr Ibrahim Kana, that no Nigerian pilgrim died during the Jamrat stoning ritual in Mina. Many pilgrims died in the past during the ritual, but the fatality has greatly reduced in recent years upon completion of the five-storey Jamrat bridge.

Hajiya Maryam, who hailed from Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, had earlier complained of excessive fatigue and fever soon after the Arafat where more than 2.5 million pilgrims from all over the world stood in prayer.

Meanwhile, a total of 19 Nigerian pilgrims have so far died during this year’s hajj. Head of  the federal medical team, Dr Ibrahim Kana, who announced this in Mecca yesterday, said this year’s death toll in the holy land was not as high as last year’s when more than 40 pilgrims from Nigeria died. Kana said five pilgrims from Katsina and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja were involved in a road accident in which they sustained various degrees of injuries. He however said they all survived the accident as there was no report of loss of lives.

 The accident, according to him, took place on their way to Arafat. All the victims, he said, were lucky to have gotten to the Arafat. He said they had all been discharged from the hospital where they were taken for urgent medical attention.

Source: http://www.news.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10423:zamfara-pilgrim-dies-stoning-devil&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=119http://www.news.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10423:zamfara-pilgrim-dies-stoning-devil&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=119