The Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, on Monday said it had cleared 1,864 prospective pilgrims from the state for the 2015 Holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Hajia Fatima-Abolore Jimoh told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ilorin that seven women discovered to be pregnant were disqualified from the trip.

She said that all the 1,864 pilgrims cleared to perform the hajj were made to undergo rigorous medical screening without consideration for their status in the society.

The Executive Secretary expressed optimism that with the thorough medical screening and inoculation, those cleared were capable of performing the 2015 Hajj.

Jimoh said that the slot for the seven disqualified women had been filled up with other interested pilgrims.

She said the board was putting necessary arrangements for a hitch free exercise, adding that decent accommodations had already been secured for the pilgrims at Makkah and Medina.

The Executive Secretary advised the pilgrims to shun negative tendencies capable of tarnishing the image of the country while in the holy land. (NAN)