Thousands of intending pilgrims from Nigeria could miss the 2024 Ramadan Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia over the decision of the authorities to stop issuing Umrah visas.
According to a report in Daily Trust, the development is already fueling anxiety and agitation from intending pilgrims with the Ramadan fasting crossing 11.
The report said Hajj and Umrah operators may be exposed to huge financial losses from hotel bookings in Makkah and Madinah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Several flights meant to convey intending pilgrims for the Umrah exercise are already being cancelled or rescheduled.
A source told Daily Trust that a flight that was supposed to depart from Kano to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with over 300 intending Umrah pilgrims, failed to leave because most of the passengers could not secure their visas.
Ramadan is an Umrah season in Nigeria and other countries around the world as Muslims strive to spend the last 10 days of the one-month fasting in Saudi Arabia to perform lesser hajj.
But this year, the plan of many Muslims is threatened by the decision of the Saudi authorities not to issue visas to the intending pilgrims with many of them already agitated.
In Kano, hundreds of Umrah intending pilgrims are still waiting to get entry visas to perform lesser hajj.
Some travel agents blamed the situation on a new visa policy introduced by authorities in the Saudi kingdom.