What a monumental loss! The Emir of Zing, in Taraba State, Nigeria, Abbas Ibrahim and his two wives, have just been confirmed dead in the horrific Saudi tragedy which so far has claimed almost 800 precious lives.
Beside the Ibrahim family, YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine also gathered that about 100 other Nigerians may have equally lost their lives in the Saudi stampede – which has been blamed on so many avoidable factors. Notable among them are Bilikisu Yusuf, a renowned female journalist of Northern extraction; Prof. Tijjani Abubakar, Deputy Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs; Justice Abdulkadir Jega of the Court of Appeal, Kebbi and brother to former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega and another Justice from the Court of Appeal, Ilorin, Kwara State, Musa Hassan Alkali.
Their remains are currently deposited in a mortuary in Mina, Saudi Arabia, awaiting burial and also further directives from their family members.
The Saudi tragedy, it would be recalled, occurred on Thursday, September 24, 2015, while some Muslims had gone to perform one of their vital religious rituals in the holy land – stoning the devil. It went awry at some point, thus leading to the death of almost 800 people now. The entire world, of course, has been in mourning ever since.