Hundreds of frustrated pilgrims abort Hajj trip

Accra, Dec. 27, GNA - Hundreds of Ghanaian Muslims who were to perform this year's Hajj in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday evening aborted the trip after days of fruitless and agonising wait at the Kotoka International Airport for aircraft to fly them for the pilgrimage. The frustrated and disappointed pilgrims trooped out of the Airport with gloomy faces hurling insults at the Hajj Council which they blamed for their predicament.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at the Airport, some of the disappointed pilgrims called for immediate and unconditional refund with interest of the 20 million cedis they paid to Hajj Council for the pilgrimage.

They expressed disgust about the behaviour of members of the Hajj Council whom they claimed deserted them and closed all means of communication.

"We have been given a bad deal...we never bargained for such a treatment. It was most unfortunate that none of the Hajj Council Members was ever available to explain the situation and challenges to us periodically and they left us completely in the dark until today," one of them told the GNA.

The Hajj Council tried in vain to obtain clearance from the authorities in Saudi Arabia after the deadline for planes to land in Jeddah expired.

The pilgrims who had congregated at the Cargo Village of the airport mostly from the three northern regions and other Muslim communities across the country since December 19 also demanded compensation in addition to refund of their fares. Most of the disappointed pilgrims called for the dissolution of the Hajj Council for gross incompetence saying this was the worst ordeal any Hajj group had ever experienced.

About 1,000 Muslim pilgrims scheduled for this year's Hajj, were stranded in Accra as the airport in Saudi Arabia was closed at midnight on Monday.

The pilgrims blamed the situation on the Hajj Council, with some saying there was the need to dissolve it and form a new one. Most of the pilgrims came from outside the Greater Accra Region and had no choice but to pitch camp at the airport.

Six structures that could only house a few persons at a time was all that was available to serve as lavatories for the pilgrims, while there was no appropriate sewage system.

Sanitation also kept deteriorating and the pilgrims were at the mercy of the weather, as they slept in tents and makeshift structures. There was no lighting system at night, plunging the whole place into darkness and leaving them with little security from criminals.