By Soliu Oyesiji
The return journey of pilgrims from Osun State has commenced following the successful completion of the 2026 Hajj rites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Administrative Secretary of the Osun State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board, Muritala Fakunle, disclosed in a statement on Saturday that 343 pilgrims would be transported in the first batch of the return airlift operation.
Fakunle said the pilgrims would depart Saudi Arabia aboard a Flynas flight and arrive at the Hajj Transit Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Sunday morning.
He explained that a total of 978 pilgrims from the state participated in this year’s Hajj and would be returned to Nigeria through three scheduled flights over a five-day period.
According to him, the repatriation exercise is being carried out in phases, with pilgrims moving from Makkah to Jeddah before boarding their flights to Lagos in line with the approved schedule.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Board, Abdul Maruf Ishola, expressed gratitude to Allah for a successful Hajj exercise and urged the returning pilgrims to uphold the spiritual lessons learnt during the pilgrimage.
He advised them to remain steadfast in good conduct and avoid actions capable of diminishing the rewards of their Hajj, urging them to serve as worthy ambassadors of Islam in their communities.
