By Abdullahi Yusuf

1. Airlift operations up to 17 May 2025 (Airlift Day 9) have moved 20,515 Nigerian pilgrims to the Kingdom, 13,228 males and 7,287 females on 50 flights (49 to Madinah, 1 to Jeddah). Of these, 10,271 pilgrims are already in Madinah and 10,244 in Makkah.
2.  Air Peace flight APK7916 left Lagos for Madinah at 09:00 hrs with 255 Nigerian Armed-Forces pilgrims (M 138, F 117) plus 50 officials. Cumulative Nigerian Air-lift: 21,075 pilgrims | 52 flights.
3. Former Jammu & Kashmir CM, Omar Abdullah, has called on Indian authorities to approve more Hajj flights to clear the backlog of pilgrims from Kashmir.
4. Nigerian pilgrims are set to enjoy high-quality meals this year, as NAHCON intensifies efforts to monitor and enforce service standards among caterers.
5.  A married couple aged 100 and 95 are on their way to perform Hajj 2025, becoming some of the oldest Indonesian pilgrims this season.
6. So far, 38,229 Pakistani pilgrims have landed in Saudi Arabia on 143 flights. Meanwhile, the country pleads with Saudi authorities to issue visas to 67,000 pilgrims at risk of exclusion due to the closure of the Kingdom’s online visa portal.
7. The Hajj Mission of the Maldives has officially departed to Saudi Arabia to oversee logistics and support pilgrims from the island nation.
8. The first group of Kurdish pilgrims has left Erbil for Saudi Arabia, as confirmed by the Kurdistan Region’s Hajj and Umrah Directorate.
9. The first batch of pilgrims from Kolkatadeparted for Hajj. West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim gave the pilgrims a warm send-off, offering prayers for a safe journey and accepted Hajj.
10. Saudi Arabia now allows citizens and legal residents to perform Hajj on behalf of others without waiting the previous five-year gap between pilgrimages.
11. Did You Know? – Mina: The City of Tents: Hosts 100,000+ air-conditioned tents, accommodating millions. Site of the iconic Ramy al-Jamarat (Stoning of the Devil) ritual. Located approximately 5 km east of Makkah.
12. Saudi Food & Drug Authority has begun on-site inspections of food, water and medical supplies destined for pilgrims.
13. 117 Indonesians who travelled on work visas instead of Hajj visas have been deported back to Jakarta. Authorities warn against misuse of visas.
14. Indonesia’s Vice-President has ordered Hajj officials to prioritise services for elderly pilgrims, emphasising wheel-chair access, medical stations and shorter queues.