Inexperienced Saudi Arabia policemen caused stampede – Senator

Facts emerged on Tuesday on how inexperienced Saudi Arabia policemen caused the stampede that claimed the lives of no fewer than 64 Nigerian pilgrims and over 1,000 others in Mina, Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria on Tuesday confirmed that the death toll among Nigerians had risen to 64.
As at the last count on Sunday night, it was 54.
Revealing what happened in Saudi Arabia to lawmakers, Senator Gbenga Ashafa (APC-Lagos East) described the stampede as the highest level of negligence on the part of the Saudi Arabia authorities.
Ashafa, who was among the Senate delegation to this year’s Hajj, faulted the claim that the stampede was as a result of Africans’ disorderliness.
He said: “It is not true that Africans were disorderly.
“We were very organised.
“The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, gave us a book on the exercise.
“The heat was so much because the sun was scorching and the Saudi Arabia policemen did not know anything about courtesy and simple instructions.
“They opened only one gate out of the 10 and that was why people were going in and out through the gate, hence the stampede.
“The question is: why are Nigerians kept 3kms away from the Jamrat?
“We and the Emir could not get to the spot of the stampede because we were told that it was a 20 minutes trek, but we walked for 30 minutes before we turned back.”
After Senator Ashafa revealed what happened in Saudi Arabia to lawmakers, the Senate resolved to set up a committee to investigate the cause of the Hajj stampede.
The Red Chamber said it would hold a public hearing to forestall a re-ocurrence of the incident.
The lawmakers urged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria to liaise with Saudi Arabia authorities to determine the actual number of affected Nigerians and to ensure adequate compensation.