Kaduna — Controversy appears to be the middle name of leader of the Nigerian delegation to this year's Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, Senator Kanti Bello, as he and some Nigerian lawmakers traded insults in the holy land.

About 100 members of the House of Representatives clashed with the Amirul Hajj and other pilgrims in his entourage in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

According to a report aired by the Voice of America (Hausa Section) yesterday, the confrontation was as a result of Bello's instruction that the lawmakers should vacate an accommodation the members alleged the Amirul Hajj had preserved for his "political thugs and associates", an action they regarded as an affront.

Narrating his side of the story, Kanti Bello said, "It is lack of reputation and lack of conscience to do the right thing and a big embarrassment to these Nigerians who are lawmakers. For God's sake these are not true representatives of the people, for they don't obey simple rules.

"They were given a big room that accommodates 16 people and I heard they pressurised the Hajj Commission for another room and still they were not satisfied. They came and took over rooms that have been reserved for ministers and other delegates in my entourage. And I explained to them that we must work with rules, because even those in my entourage as Amirul Hajj must comply with the rules. But they started insulting me over the matter. Next year and beyond I am not interested in becoming Amirul Hajj!"

When lawmakers were contacted for their reaction, they insisted that journalists must play to them the taped comments made by Bello, after which they nominated Hon. Abubakar Maifata to speak on their behalf.

Maifata said, "By tradition - and he (Amirul Hajj) knows - there is always reservation of accommodation for us, but he insisted that we should be evicted for his associates. That was what caused the problem.

"Last year, our Speaker was the Amirul Hajj and we came here and there was no problem.

"This Kanti Bello, for the past six to seven years we have been coming to Hajj with him and living with him. Last year my mat was close to his own and he used to complain of the way senators and House of Representatives members were being treated. Unfortunately, what he did was worse. Because all these people he is saying are delegates are nothing but his political thugs, his relatives and village people.

"Anyone who wants to be respected must first of all respect people." On Tuesday, angry pilgrims who were against a luggage weighing policy re-introduced by the Amirul Hajj physically assaulted Senator Kanti Bello in Mecca.