Leadership (Abuja)
George Okojie
16 November 2009
Abuja — A Lagos pilgrim,currently in Mecca,Saudi Arabia, for this year's Hajj has been arrested by the Saudi police for being in possession of fake $22, 000 (N3.3 million) from which he had been spending.
LEADERSHIP reliably gathered from a source, who is currently performing the Hajj in Saudi Arabia, that the pilgrim came from Agege Local Government Area and is in police custody.
Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Alhaji Babatunde Balogun, who is in Saudi Arabia as leader of the Lagos State delegation, refused to release the name of the suspect or comment on the issue when he was asked by a source in the holy land.
It was gathered that the pilgrim had already converted $100 to Saudi Riyal undetected as the exchange rate officials were caught napping.
It was in the process of trying to convert more dollars that the fraud was detected and he was promptly arrested and detained. The suspect was said to be in Saudi Arabia with his mother and sister.
In Saudi Arabia, anyone caught stealing would have his hand chopped off while those caught with hard drugs would be executed. It is not known what will be the punishment of the Lagos pilgrim.
Last year, two Lagos pilgrims on their way to Saudi Arabia were caught at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport with hard drugs.
Before embarking on the pilgrimage, pilgrims from Lagos were educated on the dos and don'ts in Saudi Arabia and why they should not tarnish the image of the state and the nation.
They were urged to shun all forms of dubiousness and desist from smuggling drugs to the holy land as that would warrant death if caught. They were also enjoined to be good ambassadors of the state.
The Lagos State government had also set up a Hajj tribunal that would go with the pilgrims to Mecca. The tribunal is expected to try and prosecute erring pilgrims while in Saudi Arabia.
Despite these and several warnings, some pilgrims have been found to embark on pilgrimage to Mecca with the sole aim of carrying out nefarious activities.
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