Shu’aibu Jibrin, a pilgrim from Kano State, has passed away in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, just hours before the start of this year’s Hajj rituals.
The Kano State Pilgrim Welfare Board’s spokesperson, Malam Suleiman Dederi, confirmed Jibrin’s death, according to The Guardian. He reportedly d!ed on Tuesday in a Saudi hospital after a brief illness.
Hajj started today (Wednesday). The Hajj pilgrimage is held annually between the 8th and 13th days of Zil-Hajj, the 12th and final month on the Islamic lunar calendar. This year, the corresponding Gregorian calendar dates of Hajj 2025 in Saudi Arabia are between 4 June and 8 June.
Sama’uddin Aliyu Kadawa, a relative of the deceased who is also participating in the pilgrimage, told journalists in Makkah that Jibrin was a farmer from Gargai in Bebeji Local Government Area.
Aliyu explained that although the deceased had a medical history of ulcer and hypertension, “doctors at the hospital confirmed he suffered cardiac arrest and heart failure.”
“He was okay when he left home. After he became ill, he was admitted to King Abdulazeez Hospital for two days and was discharged after his health improved.
“Unfortunately, his condition worsened again yesterday, and he was rushed back to the hospital. Despite the efforts of our Nigerian doctors and the medical team at the hospital, he passed away around 2:50 a.m.,” Aliyu said.
In a related development, on Tuesday, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that Jamila Muhammad, a pilgrim from Plateau State, had passed away in Mecca.
In a statement issued in Jos on Tuesday, the executive secretary of Plateau State’s Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Daiyabu Dauda, confirmed the death.
According to him, Jamila d!ed on Monday at King Abdul’aziz Hospital following complications from diabetes.
“When the complications began, we immediately took her to the hospital for proper medication in line with our mandate.
“Unfortunately, we lost her, and the doctor at the hospital confirmed it was complications due to diabetes,” he said.
Mr. Dauda added that the deceased had been laid to rest in Mecca in accordance with Islamic rites. He expressed his condolences to her immediate family and urged them to find comfort in God during this difficult time.
