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Lesser Hajj: Buhari Departs Madinah for Makkah
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, Friday, arrived in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, from the city of Madinah, where he began the initial leg of his Umrah engagements in the Kingdom.
Mr Buhari left Nigeria for Saudi Arabia on Thursday to perform the Umrah (lesser Hajj), on the invitation of King Salman of Saudi Arabia.
After arriving Madinah Thursday, Mr Buhari performed the evening prayer at the Holy Prophet’s Mosque.
According to his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, in an email to PREMIUM TIMES Saturday, the president was ushered to the grave of Prophet Mohammed where he said prayers for ”the nation, his family and himself.”
Mr Shehu said Mr Buhari was seen off at the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Madina International Airport by the Governor of the Madinah Province, Faisal Al-Saud.
”The President was welcomed at Makkah by the Regional Governor, Prince Khalid Bin Faisal Al-Saud.
”Also at hand to receive him were the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Justice Isa Dodo (rtd), the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar and officials of the Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah.
”After the reception, he immediately went ahead to commence the Umrah rites Friday evening,” Mr Shehu said.
Premium Times
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
