Ghana’s Parliament was thrown into concern after Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, revealed that two pilgrims he personally sponsored for the just-concluded Hajj have not returned and are currently missing in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during a session addressing Hajj-related matters, Ayariga also referenced the disturbing case of a woman who was mistakenly declared dead by the Ghana Hajj Task Force. He squarely blamed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for lapses in tracking and follow-up, insisting that the Ministry of Local Government and Religious Affairs should not be held responsible for the apparent negligence.
Ayariga’s comments have sparked nationwide concern over the accountability and coordination of the Ghana Hajj Task Force, with questions being raised about the actual number of Ghanaian pilgrims who remain unaccounted for after the end of the pilgrimage and airlift operations.
Ghanaians are now demanding answers: Did the Hajj Task Force reconcile the total number of pilgrims with the final travel manifest before the last flight departed Saudi Arabia? And how many pilgrims, if any, are still stranded or missing?
Over 5,900 Ghanaians participated in this year’s Hajj, and citizens are calling on the Task Force to account for each one.
