Kola nut, which Saudi Arabia authorities has warned Hajj pilgrims of carrying into the Kingdom this year, has been found in the luggage of some pilgrims during check-in procedure in Tamale.

Information available to Joy News from the Medina Airport in Saudi Arabia also indicates that the immigration at that Airport has seized volumes of creams, lotions and a variety of pomade from Ghanaian Pilgrims.

At the Tamale International Airport on Saturday during weighing and departure formalities at the Hajj Village for the third flight, some pilgrims had their Kola nuts seized by Customs authorities. 

The seizure follows the Hajj Board warning pilgrims embarking on this year's Hajj pilgrimage not to carry kola nut or risk being arrested or even killed by Saudi Arabia authorities if caught.

The Board received a circular from the Government of Saudi Arabia prohibiting pilgrims of carrying kola nut, locally referred to as “goro” in Hausa, into the Kingdom last week. 

Photo: Some concealed kola nuts seized at the Tamale International Airport

Deputy Communications Director of the Board, Mohammed Amin Lamptey in an interview with Joy News on August 15 said Saudi authorities have warned to show no mercy to any pilgrim who smuggles in kola nut among other prohibited items in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom.

"People are leaning on the kola nut to do so many things. In Ghana, some pilgrims have a way of concealing it in items like cooking oil, gari, yam, maize et al. to send to Saudi Arabia during Hajj," he said.

In another development, the Chairman of Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana (PAOG), Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko Ibrahim, has succeeded in getting an extra flight to the three flights scheduled to take off from the Tamale Airport. 

This was after consultations with stakeholders and officials of FlyNas, the Airline partners of Hajj operations in Ghana. 

PAOG initially scheduled three flights to airlift 1,500 pilgrims in three batches of 500 passengers from the three Northern Regions.

However, it came later to the notice of the Board that the three flights allotted the three Northern Regions which started on August 19 and was expected to end on August 21, would not be sufficient due to the increased number of pilgrims.

"Alhaji Ibrahim, realizing the exigency of the situation, earlier met with stakeholders and our Airline partners to request for an additional flight for Tamale for Monday, August 22," Mr Lamptey disclosed.

"This is to help avoid the situation where a backlog of pilgrims from the three Northern Regions would not have to travel all the way to Accra to be airlifted," he added.