Thousands of pilgrims stranded

Thousands of Nigerian pilgrims are stranded in Saudi Arabia after their flights home were cancelled at the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, according to news reports.

The pilgrims, who are camped near Jeddah airport, have been waiting for transport for nearly two weeks; causing growing concern over their welfare, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

At least 50,000 Nigerians are believed to have travelled to Mecca and those who have returned say that many left behind have been forced to sell their possessions to buy food or resort to begging, the BBC said.

The governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, has chartered two planes to repatriate some of the pilgrims, AFP quoted his office as saying on Wednesday.

The Nigerian government organises the annual pilgrimage and each year the process comes under criticism. According to the BBC, the airlines given the contract to transport the pilgrims have run into unexpected operational costs which have resulted in delays and cancelled flights.

Victor Aigbohan, managing director of Kabo Air, one of the contracted domestic carriers, told `The Punch' newspaper that the rise in fuel prices had forced his company to replan flights "to a cost-effective level". AFP said the government and Kabo Air were in a dispute over who should who should bring the pilgrims home and care for the stranded.