The Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday evening landed in Makkah from the city of Madinah, Saudi Arabia, where he initially commenced the leg of his Umrah involvement in the Kingdom.

The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, on Saturday morning, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja.

He said: “After the evening prayer at the Holy Prophet’s Mosque on Thursday, the President was ushered to the grave of Prophet Mohammed where he said prayers for the nation, his family and himself.

”He was seen off at the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Madina International Airport by the Governor of the Madinah Province, Prince Faisal Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.”

Shehu further revealed that Buhari was welcomed at Makkah by the Regional the Governor, Prince Khalid Bin Faisal Al-Saud, together with the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Justice Isa Dodo (rtd), the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar, and officials of the Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah.

”After the reception, he immediately went ahead to commence the Umrah rites Friday evening,” Shehu added.

The Nigerian president had on May 16 left Abuja for Saudi Arabia in respect to the invitation of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the king of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to perform the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) in the Kingdom.

The President, who should go back to Abuja on May 21, had last observed the Umrah in Saudi Arabia in February 2016.

Umrah is a voluntary but recommended pilgrimage to Makkah that can be made at any time of the year