The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (KSPWA) vehemently denied allegations that male and female pilgrims were accommodated in the same hotel in Makkah during the 2025 Hajj.

In a Sunday statement, the agency responded to the allegations that were published by the Hajj reporters, saying ‘the story was a “deliberate attempt to mislead the generality of the public and to damage the reputation of the agency”.’

The KSPWA stated that, “it has a functional media team for the 2025 Hajj, and we are surprised that the reporters did not reach the KSPWA Public Relations Officer for clarifications.”

The KSPWA further stated that it has a long tradition of ensuring accommodation for male and female pilgrims is gender separate and that “Kaduna State was the first State in Nigeria to establish and maintain separate lodging for male and female pilgrims in Makkah because of our adherence to religious and moral values.”

The KSPWA recognized that there was initial controversy surrounding the religious standards of the accommodations by some of the ladies pilgrims and their relatives, but that the problems arose out of “misunderstanding.”

It said it imbibes the practice of placing people in different hotels and different floors based on their gender for accommodation flexibility.