As more Nigerian pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia ahead of the commencement of this year’s Hajj exercise, a pilgrim from Sokoto State, on Thursday, found and returned $700, N70,000 and four Saudi Riyal belonging to Kaduna State pilgrims in Madinah.
The Good Samaritan, Alhaji Arzika Bakaya, who is from Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, found the pouch in which the owner put the money and return and handed it over to officials of his state’s pilgrims welfare board.
Officials of the Sokoto Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board in turn handed over the pouch containing the money to the Madina Coordinator of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Ibrahim Mahmud Idris, at the commission’s Madinah office.
The owner of the pouch, it was gathered, had left Madinah for Makkah ahead of the commencement of the Hajj exercise proper.
Speaking shortly after the money was handed to NAHCON, Bakaya said he found the pouch on the staircase of the hotel both states shared in Madinah before Kaduna State pilgrims left for Makkah.
According to him, his state pilgrims board officials had admonished them in Nigeria that any lost objects they found in Saudi Arabia had to be returned, otherwise the person who found such would be on the wrong side of the Saudi laws.
He said that he did not have any regret returning the money, declaring that he had satisfied his conscience by doing what he did.
“During our orientations, our Islamic scholars told us that one does not just find money and claim it in Saudi Arabia. Everything found must be returned or the law will catch up with you.
“So, when I saw this pouch, I took it to an official of Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Board, who is the PRO.
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‘’It was in his presence that we discovered the money inside the pouch. Luckily for us, the pouch also contains the telephone number and passport photograph of the Kaduna pilgrim. I am happy to have satisfied my conscious,” Bakaya said.
In his remarks, NAHCON’s Madinah Coordinator expressed gratitude to the Good Samaritan pilgrim for his sincerity.
Idris pledged to return the money to officials of the Kaduna State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board for onward transmission to the owner, saying that the gesture is good for Nigeria’s image.
According to him, “we will follow the same process of getting in touch with officials of the pilgrim’s state just as the Sokoto officials had done by contacting NAHCON. This is a laudable feat by a pilgrim and good for the image of Nigeria.”
He, however, urged Nigerian pilgrims to be very careful with their valuables, including money, while in Saudi Arabia.
‘’I will, however, advise all pilgrims to be more careful in handling their money and document while in the Holy Land. The stress involved in losing money is much,’’ he said.
The Good Samaritan had found the pouch on the steps of their hotel accommodation where both states’ pilgrims were lodged.
Alhaji Arzika Bakaya from Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto state says he has no regrets returning the money to its rightful owner.
The minimum Basic Traveling Allowance (BTA) of pilgrims is around 850 dollars for this year’s Hajj.
Sokoto pilgrim returns lost $700 belonging to Kaduna pilgrim
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Sokoto pilgrim returns lost $700 belonging to Kaduna pilgrim
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