By Gbenga Omokhunu | Abuja,The Nation

Copyright thenationonlineng

…we shall arrest, prosecute guarantors – Pilgrims board

The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has announced new measures to prevent pilgrims from absconding during trips to Jordan and Israel.

Speaking at the pre-departure orientation for 142 intending Christian pilgrims, Mahmoud urged them to be good ambassadors of both the FCT and Nigeria.

She encouraged the pilgrims to uphold dignity, portray the country positively, and use the holy journey to pray for President Bola Tinubu and members of the Renewed Hope Agenda team for effective governance and delivery of democratic benefits.

Mahmoud said, “The occasion of this pre-departure orientation program is a demonstration of the government’s commitment to the spiritual well-being of the people.

She said, “For some of you who might be contemplating absconding or indulging in any acts that are inimical to the name of our dear country, you should have a rethink because this will not be accepted at any rate. The Federal Government of Nigeria has put in effective proactive machinery to counter such efforts. I sincerely hope that this pilgrimage will provide you with unique and rewarding encounters as we await your safe return home”.

Meanwhile, the FCT Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board has said that while it doesn’t envisage any case of abscondment, individuals who make such an attempt would put their guarantors in jeopardy.

The Acting Director of the Board, Gloria Dandam, said for many years, FCT has achieved a great feat by not recording any abscondment of Pilgrims, but should there be any case, guarantors of those who absconded would be arrested and prosecuted.

She said, “Right now, in FCT alone, we have 142 pilgrims who have paid to take off, but we have other states joining us. Your guarantors were made to fill out the forms so that if you don’t come back, we’ll know who to hold.

“If you don’t come back, we hold the person to ransom, we can take him to court, and charge him, because he has signed for somebody who absconded.”