The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency has strongly refuted claims that male and female pilgrims were housed together in the same hotel in Makkah during the 2025 Hajj.
In a statement released on Sunday, the agency dismissed the reports by Hajj correspondents as a “deliberate attempt to mislead the generality of the public and to damage the reputation of the agency.”
The KSPWA emphasized that it operates a dedicated media team for the 2025 Hajj and expressed surprise that the reporters failed to contact the KSPWA Public Relations Officer for confirmation before publishing the story.
Highlighting its long-standing commitment to religious and moral standards, the agency said, “Kaduna State was the first State in Nigeria to establish and maintain separate lodging for male and female pilgrims in Makkah because of our adherence to religious and moral values.”
While acknowledging that some female pilgrims and their relatives initially raised concerns regarding the religious appropriateness of the accommodations, the KSPWA attributed these issues to “misunderstanding.”
The agency reaffirmed its policy of accommodating pilgrims by placing them in separate hotels or on different floors according to gender to ensure flexibility and uphold religious decorum.
