Three months after a successful spiritual exercise in Saudi Arabia, the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, yesterday, declared a pilgrim missing and two others dying in Saudi Arabia.

Sani Abubakar Danmaliki, from Kumbotso Local Council, went missing while in the city of Madina prior to Arafat and his whereabouts remain unknown.

The board’s Director General, Laminu Rabi’u Danbappa, made the revelations during an official presentation of the 2025 Hajj operations report to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. He said the state government had escalated the rescue alert with the Saudi government through the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to rescue the pilgrim alive.

On preparation for the 2026 exercise, the DG informed the governor that Kano has received 5,684 slots and announced an initial deposit of N8.5 million as directed by NAHCON.  He reminded intending pilgrims to complete their deposits before October 8, 2025, prior to the deadline stipulated by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj.

Earlier, the 2025 Amirul Hajj and Emir of Karaye, Karaye Emirate, Alhaji Muhammad Mahraz, presented the reports and financial statement to the governor, who sympathised with the families of the deceased and pledged increased efforts to recover the missing pilgrim.

IN another development, Governor Yusuf has restated the state government’s readiness to partner with any organisation willing to assist citizens of the state to improve their well-being and socioeconomic development. He made the commitment while receiving officials of a Turkish humanitarian foundation (IDDEF) who paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Kano.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mustapha Muhammad, the governor explained that the pledge  to collaborate with IDDEF aligns with his administration’s commitment to improving the lives of Kano citizens, noting that  the partnership would yield positive outcomes through enhancing the state’s humanitarian landscape and contributing to the welfare of its people.

Earlier, a member of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, Sheikh Rasul Jawad, recalled that the organisation was founded 30 years ago by a Turkish Islamic cleric, Sheikh Mahamud Ifandi, and operates in 60 countries, including Nigeria.

He added that the founder of the foundation focuses on educating millions of students, and offering other humanitarian services for the betterment of lives and the larger society.

Coordinator of the foundation in Nigeria, Dr. Askiya Nasiru Kabara, explained in details humanitarian interventions offered by the body in the areas of education, health, potable water, and circumcision of male children, among others. He announced the establishment of a college in Kano named after the foundation’s founder, Sheikh Ifandi.