Bauchi bars women from Hajj

The Bauchi State Government has denied four women their wishes to participate in the 2016 Hajj Pilgrimage.

The state Deputy Amirul Hajji, Kawuwa Damuna, who is also the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, said this on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that three of the intending pilgrims were discovered to be pregnant, while the fourth was disqualified on health grounds.

He said that officials of the state medical team discovered the pregnant women during their final screening, adding that the fourth woman was too ill to travel.

The Speaker said the third batch of the pilgrims from the state consisted of those from Misau, Shira, Zaki and Bogoro Local Government Areas, while the fourth was made up of intending pilgrims from Itas Gadau, Ningi and Jama’are Local Government Areas.