By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi <\/p>\n
The Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, is calling for mandatory pre-registration security checks for every Nigerian intending pilgrim ahead of the 2027 Hajj, warning that recent arrests of suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders exposed gaps in the current process.<\/p>\n
In a statement signed Monday by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, the faith-based civil society organization, CSO said the move is necessary to prevent criminal elements from exploiting Hajj and Umrah travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cPre-registration screening should be made compulsory for all intending pilgrims participating in the 2027 Hajj exercise,\u201d the group stated.<\/p>\n
IHR proposed that NAHCON and State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards constitute dedicated security screening committees to vet intending pilgrims immediately after they pay the initial deposit, but before final registration.<\/p>\n
\u201cNAHCON and the State Boards should create security screening committees that will visit states every two weeks to obtain the profiles of intending pilgrims and properly vet them to prevent a repeat of what recently happened in Katsina State,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
The organisation also wants a centralized, automated pilgrim registration portal with NAHCON permit-enabled synchronization. The system, it said, should flag security risk indicators to help authorities \u201csieve out individuals or groups with dubious mindsets.\u201d<\/p>\n
IHR recalled that wanted criminal suspects were arrested at Hajj embarkation points during the 2025 pilgrimage. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese incidents justify the need for thorough security screening of all intending pilgrims before the issuance of a visa every Hajj season,\u201d it noted.<\/p>\n
While acknowledging the tight 2027 registration timeline released by Saudi Arabia\u2019s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, IHR insisted security must come first.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe acknowledge the accelerated registration schedule for the 2027 Hajj and the need to fast-track the process. However, security must remain paramount in any exercise involving cross-border travel and the movement of large numbers of people,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n
The CSO expressed confidence in NAHCON\u2019s current leadership to act. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that NAHCON\u2019s current leadership, which has so far demonstrated the capacity to effectively manage challenges, will give this proposal positive consideration to ensure that wanted criminals cannot exploit Hajj or Umrah operations as a means of travelling abroad,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi The Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, is calling for mandatory pre-registration security checks for every Nigerian intending pilgrim ahead of the 2027 Hajj, warning that recent arrests of suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders exposed gaps in the current process. In a statement signed Monday by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, the faith-based […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-religion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15097"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15099,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15097\/revisions\/15099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}