Niger Republic has refused to facilitate issuance of hajj visa to all Nigerians and other foreign nationals living in the county, saying the decision was based on a directive from Saudi authorities.

Secretary Niger Hajj Operations Association Alhaji Salisu Rabiu said during a pre-hajj operation meeting with Saudi authoritiesthat they were directed not to issue a single visa to foreign passport.

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Speaking on a BBC Hausa service program on delay in this year's hajj operation, Rabiu fingered visa as the major cause of the problem, saying they met with all foreigners living in Niger who intended to travel for this year's hajj through Niger and asked them to go back to their country.

"It is a new law by the Saudi authorities that we should not issue a single visa to any passport; so we called all those from Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Libya who are permanently living here and told them that they should go back to their respective countries and get hajj visa," he said.