Family Of Ex Rep Member Who Died In Hajj Stampede Not Given Option Getting His Corpse, As Daughter Labels Experience ‘A Nightmare’

The family of Morufdeen Adefolabi, the ex Federal House of Representatives member who died in the infamous Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia do not have the luxury of getting the deceased’s corpse and burying him back home.

A family member who did not want his name in print, disclosed to punch that the travel company did not give the family an option of having his corpse brought back home for burial.

But the daughter, Adetutu Adefolabi-Eshiet, the first child of the former Chairman of the Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area described the death of her father as a nightmare the paper reports.

Here are futher revelations made by the national publication, the family of the politician, who represented Ifako Ijaiye constituency in the House of Representatives between 2007 and 2011, until Tuesday was unsure of the fate of the ex-member of the House of Representatives after the stampede.

He was on pilgrimage and was rounding off the Hajj rites when the stampede hit the holy land claiming over 700 lives

Many Nigerian pilgrims had died in the stampede which also claimed the lives of nationals of other countries.

After the stampede, the telephone lines of the politician had reportedly gone dead, while efforts to locate him had proved abortive.

Adetutu, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone on Wednesday, said the travel firm that handled his trip to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj broke the news of his death to the family.

She said, “My father’s death is still like a bad dream. I cannot believe he is dead. He was a father who cared so much about his children and their happiness. Even though he was a Muslim, he allowed me to marry a Christian and a non-Yoruba. He was totally detribalised. I have yet to come to terms with the news of his death. I find it difficult to mourn.’’

Adetutu added that the search for her father was not an easy task for the family.

Earlier, a family member who did not want his name in print, said the travel company did not give the family an option of having his corpse brought back home for burial.