Tragedy hits the Lagos Chapter of the All Progressives Congress as they mourn the death of their Welfare Secretary, Alhaja Ramota Bankole.
Alhaja Ramota who travelled to the holy land died while performing Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress in the state, Seye Oladejo, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that Bankole’s death “is most shocking and unfortunate.”
“She was a committed and experienced party leader. The deceased was a proven mobiliser and inspiration for women’s participation in politics. May her precious soul rest in peace,” Oladejo said.
The number of lives claimed from this year’s Hajj has exceeded 1,000, an AFP tally said on Thursday, more than half of them unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia.
Around 10 countries have reported 1,081 deaths during the annual pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam which all Muslims with the means must complete at least once.
The figures have come through official statements or from diplomats working on their countries’ responses.
The National Meteorological Centre reported a high of 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
According to a Saudi study published last month, temperatures in the area are rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade.
Two pilgrims from Kwara State, Salman Alade and Ayishat Ologele, died earlier in June while on pilgrimage in Mecca.
The PUNCH reports that the pilgrims were among the thousands of Nigerians who travelled to the holy land to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
