Tinubu Returns to Abuja After Saudi Umrah

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu returned to Abuja on Wednesday night after completing a weeklong Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, the State House media office said. His aircraft landed at the Presidential Wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 8:53 p.m., according to the office’s update. Senior government officials, including Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and Education Minister Tunji Alausa, received him. Tinubu had departed Saudi Arabia earlier Wednesday after completing the religious visit in Makkah. A video shared that day showed him greeting Nigerian and Saudi officials before boarding a Nigerian Air Force aircraft. The footage showed his departure but, on its own, did not establish the aircraft’s destination. The State House update later reported that he had arrived in Abuja. Tinubu travelled to Saudi Arabia on October 29 and performed Umrah at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on October 30. During the visit, Saudi authorities granted him and members of the Nigerian delegation permission to enter the interior of the Holy Kaaba. The State House said King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud extended the privilege. Sheikh Dahlulah Muthawal of Masjid al-Haram accompanied the...