Nigeria, June 24 -- The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has officially concluded the return airlift phase of the 2026 Hajj exercise, marking the successful completion of one of the country's largest annual religious operations.

The final batch of Nigerian pilgrims, comprising pilgrims and officials from Zamfara State, departed Jeddah aboard MaxAir flight VM2014 on Tuesday, 23 June, at 2:10 p.m. local time and is expected to arrive in Gusau later in the day.

According to data from the commission's Command and Control Centre, the concluding flight conveyed 149 pilgrims and 28 officials from Zamfara State, bringing the total number of pilgrims and officials airlifted back to Nigeria to 38,052 through 97 return flights.

The co...