No fewer than three missing Nigerian pilgrims have been rescued by the Kebbi government officials (KGOs) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The KGOs are pilgrims sponsored by the Kebbi government who perform the Hajj and assist the pilgrims where necessary.

Speaking in Mecca on Tuesday, one of the KGOs, Nasir Idris, the executive director of Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), Kebbi branch, said they had rescued a woman from Kamba Local Government Area.

He said the woman had missed her way back home. She had gone further behind the Al-Masjid Al-Haram (Kaaba), leading to a different area.

“As KGOs, we had to intervene and redirect her back home through a taxi service,” he said.

Mentioning the KGOs’ activities, Mr Idris said some sometimes assist in translation and act as intermediaries due to language barriers.

Mr Idris added that they also offer useful suggestions to committees to ensure the success of the Hajj exercise.

He said the activities of KGOs were not restricted to Kebbi alone, but they helped all the pilgrims from Nigeria whenever such assistance was needed.

“We recently rescued two women from Bauchi State who missed their way to their hotel but the quick intervention of the KGOs led them to their hotels without any difficulty,” Mr Idris said.

The CEO said the humanitarian services being rendered by the KGOs would be sustained throughout the Hajj operation.

He, therefore, appealed for more support and cooperation from the pilgrims to ensure a successful Hajj exercise.

Mr Idris advised the pilgrims to always move in groups to avoid missing their directions.

He added, ”They should always be cautious when spending their basic travel allowance.

”They should also be routinely asking the clerics for guidance on the proper Hajj rituals for them to perform an acceptable Hajj.”

(NAN)