The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has announced that over 6,500 Nigerian pilgrims have been successfully flown back to the country from Saudi Arabia as part of the ongoing 2025 Hajj return operations.
On Tuesday, June 17, Max Air completed its 16th return flight, bringing home 560 people, which included 550 pilgrims and 10 officials. This latest flight, VM265, departed Jeddah Airport at 8:33 am and landed in Lagos.
According to a statement from NAHCON’s Command and Control Centre in Makkah, “A breakdown of the pilgrims on board shows that 549 were from Oyo State, while 1 pilgrim was from Plateau State.”
With this flight, the total number of pilgrims that have been airlifted back to Nigeria so far has reached 6,528. NAHCON said this shows the steady progress being made in returning pilgrims home after they completed their Hajj duties.
A post shared by the Commission on its X platform (formerly Twitter) confirmed that 16 flights have now been completed. NAHCON promised to continue working hard to ensure all pilgrims return safely and with ease.
“We are committed to ensuring every Nigerian pilgrim returns safely and comfortably. The coordinated efforts of our teams and partners are yielding positive results, and we appreciate the patience and cooperation of all pilgrims,” the post read.
The Commission added that it is closely monitoring the return operations from its office in Makkah and will continue to share updates until the last group of pilgrims is brought back home.
This year’s Hajj exercise has seen thousands of Nigerians travel to Saudi Arabia for the Islamic pilgrimage. The return phase began shortly after the religious activities ended in Mina and Makkah.
