Nigerian Military Stops Airlines From Lifting Passengers At Maiduguri Airport

Pilgrims from Borno state were on Friday compelled to travel seven hours tortuous journey to Kano to board flight for  this  year’s lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia as military barred Maiduguri International Airport from lifting of passengers to the Muslims holy land.

Also given a sad dose of treatment is the former minority leader of the House of Representatives and senator presently representing Borno Central at the National Assembly, Mohammed Ali Ndume,  who was not allowed to travel in a chartered flight by the military establishment in troubled Borno state.

It was gathered that all efforts of the governor of the state, Alhaji Kashim Shettima,  to persuade the military to rescind its decision fell on deaf ears as every aircraft  was  ordered to leave the terminal empty.

It took the intervention of prominent politicians in the state to calm the aggrieved 278 pilgrims who had plan to board the flight to Saudi Arabia as they were persuaded to take a seven-hours bus ride to the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, a journey which normally would have lasted five hours without the numerous military checkpoints on the highway.

Content Credit: Thisday