By Soliu Oyesiji
The return airlift of Kano State pilgrims from the 2026 Hajj continued on Saturday as 708 pilgrims were transported from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Kano aboard two flights.
A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Sulaiman Dederi, said the first flight, operated by UMZA Air, departed King Abdulaziz International Airport at 9:27 a.m. with 451 Kano pilgrims on board.
The second flight, operated by Max Air, left Jeddah at 12:08 p.m., conveying 257 Kano pilgrims alongside the remaining pilgrims from Katsina State.
The Director General of the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Abubakar Matawalle, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Yusuf Muktar, was present at the airport to bid farewell to the pilgrims and oversee the commencement of the return operation.
The pilgrims were drawn from Kumbotso, Dawakin Kudu, Nasarawa, Bunkure, Rano, Kibiya, Tarauni and Kano Municipal local government areas.
The board expressed gratitude to Allah for the successful completion of the Hajj rites and prayed for the safe return of all pilgrims and the acceptance of their acts of worship.
