Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar expresses deep regret and sorrow over the tragedy that struck Muslim pilgrims during a stampede in Mecca that claimed hundreds of lives, among them a senior Nigerian female journalist and nine other victims from Nigeria.
A statement released by his media office in Abuja on Saturday, 26 September, describes the incident as one of the saddest accidents to have befallen Muslims in recent memories.
The former Vice President notes that such colossal loss of human life was rare and remarkably regrettable, adding that the Muslim world should be united in grief and offer prayers to God to avert this kind of accident of calamitous proportion.
The Turaki Adamawa says life is so precious that whoever dies, the world should be united in grief because “we are bound by our common humanity.” Atiku advises that “we learn lessons from these tragic incidents, and take precautionary measures to ward off future disasters.”
The former Vice President conveys his condolences to the families of the Nigerian victims of this tragedy. He describes the late Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf, one of the Nigerian victims, “as the shining light of the journalism profession in Nigeria, and a pride to Northern Nigeria for being the first female Editor of the North’s two major newspapers – The Triumph and The New Nigerian.”
The former Vice President notes that the late Bilkisu Yusuf was not only an outstanding editor, but also an internationally recognised activist on women and development issues.
He prays to God to forgive the gentle souls of the dead and reward their sacrifices and devotion with an eternal bliss in paradise.
