Nigerian Pilgrims Abscond In Israel

Five Nigerian pilgrims who went to Israel for this year's pilgrimage have absconded. Two were from Lagos State while the remaining three were from Kaduna State.

The two pilgrims from Lagos State, western Nigeria, were part of group two, batch one of the pilgrims who departed the shores of Lagos on 22 November, 2013. P.M.NEWS gathered that they disappeared immediately after a visit to the Wailing Wall and while pilgrims were ascending Mount Zion.

One of the pilgrims was caught by the police, while the second one, identified as Ndubuisi is still at large.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, has led to tight security around Lagos pilgrims so that more would not escape.

The passports of all Lagos pilgrims were collected from them immediately they stepped into the Tel Aviv Airport on the orders of the Nigeria Embassy in Israel to prevent pilgrims from absconding during the pilgrimage.

Officials of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, NCPC and the Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board have been trying to cover up the defection, but members of the group where the pilgrims absconded have been discussing the matter over and over.

One of the pilgrims, who craved anonymity, told P.M.NEWS that this year's pilgrimage was  better than the previous one when nine pilgrims absconded at a time, denting the image of Nigeria in the holy land.

On Sunday, police escort, previously absent during tours across the holy land, have been accompanying Lagos pilgrims to other sites to ensure that no case of defection was recorded, while the guides, who led the pilgrims on tour of holy sites always ensured that pilgrims in their groups were counted after visit to each site.

Other pilgrims were told to keep an eye on their colleagues and report any suspected incident of defection to officials.

However, Lagos pilgrims have been receiving mixed treatment from the Israelis in the holy land due to the primitive ways some of the pilgrims, especially those from local governments in Lagos State comported themselves.

In most cases, many of them rushed for food and took excess, thus, denting the image of the country before white tourists. One of the pilgrims, instead of using a small cup to get orange juice, brought a two-litre plastic, an action that irked officials of the Jerusalem Gate Hotel.

At Intercontinental Bethlehem Hotel, after the first night in the massive edifice and due to the disgraceful conduct of Lagos pilgrims during dinner, they were taken to a secluded place for their dinner the following day by management of the hotel to prevent them from mixing with white tourists.

A protest by officials of the Lagos pilgrim board led the management of the hotel to change their mind and brought the pilgrims back to dine with their while colleagues.

At the Jerusalem Gate Hotel, Lagos pilgrims were frustrated when they moved in on Saturday as the Sabbath day observed by the Jews kept them at the hotel's lobby for hours after a long day's tour of some parts of Jerusalem.

P.M.NEWS reports that apart from the little hitches witnessed, the pilgrimage was successful. Officials of the Lagos Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board housed the pilgrims in some of the best hotels with the state of the art facilities in Israel.

The first batch of over 300 Lagos pilgrims are expected to arrrive the country tomorrow evening after spending 10 days in Israel.

Also, three female pilgrims from Kaduna State were also reported missing in Israel by officials.

The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the state's Bureau for Christian Religious Affairs, Mr. Bulus Zakka, told newsmen in Israel that the three might have absconded.

Zakkah said two of the pilgrims were from the second batch of the pilgrims while one was from the first batch.

He said 1,000 pilgrims were attending the pilgrimage from the state.

The director said the details of the missing persons had been given to the Israeli authorities, who had initiated efforts to assist the board to locate them.

"We have reported to the security agents of Israel who are investigating and by the grace of God, they will be arrested.

"The security agencies are working round the clock to see that these people are arrested."

The director said the missing pilgrims would be arrested and deported to the country as their details and profiles had been dispatched to the various security outfits in that country.

"We have been facing this problem and efforts to stop the attitude have proved abortive.

"That is why bus captains were directed to collect all the international passports in order to stop pilgrims from absconding.

"But now that this thing has continued, the board has no alternative than to make certain recommendations to the government, because it is the image of Kaduna State that is being dented," he said.

The director said that recommendations would be made to the state government to ensure that non-indigenes wishing to participate in future exercise did so through their state rather than through Kaduna State.

"In the past, we have never had cases of indigenes of Kaduna absconding. Most of the absconders are from other parts of the country."

The team leader, Tanko Tete, lamented the persistent cases of absconders recorded annually, urging the state government to forestall a re-occurrence.

He said the screening committee of the Christian Pilgrims Board should be able to identify those likely to run away while in the holy land.

Tete emphasised the need for intending pilgrims to see the exercise as a religious obligation aimed at lifting their spiritual life rather than an escape route to other countries.

Some 700 pilgrims in two batches have performed the pilgrimage and returned while the last batch would be transported back home on Tuesday.