IT was a bad New Year day for some over 1,000 Nigerian pilgrims performing the 2010 pilgrimage to the holy land in Israel as the Israeli authority, Saturday, shut its border against those entering the country from Egypt over a bomb scare which turned to be a false alarm.

The Nigerians who are one of the many batches performing the exercise, include pilgrims from the Federal Capital Territory, Taraba, River, Yobe, Kwara, Delta and Oyo states as well as members of the Federal Government officials but had to leave for Mount Sinai, one of the holy site located in the neighbour country of Egypt.

The Nigerians had left Jerusalem for Mount Sinai enroute Eilat, an Israeli border town through Taba, an Egyptian border town to St. Catherine, the sparsely populated community where the holy site of Mount Sinai and the Burning Bush were located.

The pilgrims had arrived the Egyptian_Israeli border post at Taba at1:10 pm for the border routine check, after a lunch at Nuweiba another Egyptian town located between St. Catherine and Taba, when the incident occurred.

Egyptian security operatives
The Nigerian Christians who were in eight different luxurious buses had been swiftly checked by the Egyptian security operatives from the Egypt’s end of the border, in less than 30 minutes.

But, the unexpected happened, after about 45 Nigerian travellers had began the screening process with the Israeli authority on the country’s side of the border, when the international passage was hurriedly shut down to prevent the pilgrims from gaining access.

Precisely, at exactly 1:53pm there was a very loud alarm, from the Israeli part of the border, and suddenly the country’s security personnel were seen rushing to close both the vehicular and human passage; and within a minute, the entire border was cordoned-off with the Israelis deserting their duty-post and leaving for more secured rooms at the border.

And for more than 30 minutes the Nigerians including the young and old people who had queued in a very long line that stretched to the Egyptian end of the border, stood helplessly in the sun without explanation from the Israeli official, as the border remained closed.

The few Nigerians who had passed some check points after being screened by Israel were swiftly sent back to the Egypt’s part of the border, perhaps for a more thorough check, but there was no official explanation, as the Israelis were heard through the loud speakers engaged in communication.

Reprieve, however, came the way of the stranded Nigerians who obviously became apprehensive when after over 30 minutes inexplicable silence, an Israeli female official alerted from the secured enclave and opened the gates.

But despite the resumption of operation by the Israelis, it took the exhausted Nigerians additional two hours to leave the border post which is sited by the bank of the Red Sea, which is surrounded by Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Investigation by Vanguard revealed that what led to the sudden closure of the border was a bomb scare alert which followed the notice of an unclaimed luggage by Nigerian pilgrims who had began the check, before the border was shut.

It was learnt that a Rev. Fr (names withheld) from River State had upon discovery that the bag he was holding was not actually his, had drop the luggage to search for his, at the Egyptian end of the border.

Trouble started when the Israelis noticed that the group they had screened had left the scene with nobody picking the remaining luggage from the floor, a development that forced the duty officer to raise an alarm which led to the temporary closure of the border.

.Detained Pastor Over Islamic Name

Also, on the same day, the authority detained a Nigerian Pilgrim, Pastor Abdulrahaman Mohammed David, who is also the General Overseer of the Shalom World Outreach Ministry, Abuja over suspicion that he may not be a Christian because he bears an Islamic name.

Pastor Abdulrahaman Mohammed, an indegine of Borno State was born into an Islamic family but was converted into Christianity and later became pastor and set up his own gospel church.

The Pastor who had passed through the same border, the previous day, without any detailed screening, was however alarmed when an Israeli security official that detained him, while they check through the international list of terrorist suspects.

As a result, all other pilgrims had to leave him behind at the border post, for about three hours, before he was released to join others who spent the night, at the port city of Eilat in Israel, but he didn’t arrive until after dinner.

But the Israeli security officials insisted that the Nigerian entering the their country from Egypt within a week after Christians were bombed in Jos; less than a day more Christians were also murdered a similar circumstance in Abuja, all in Nigeria; and above all, within two hours after 21 christians killed in a Church in Egypt, they were forced to subject the pilgrims to the screening at the border post.

Another reason given to Vanguard by the Israeli official who wouldn’t want his name in print, for closing the borders against the Nigerians, is that the holy site of Mount Sinai where the Nigerians had left Israel to visit is fast becoming a fertile land for terrorists and many other criminal activities including rape and money laundering, alleging that over $500 million fake US dollar is in circulation at St. Catherine, the host community of the holy site controlled by Egypt.

He attributed the poor security situation at Mount Sinai to the inability of the Egyptian government to secure the area, which he alleged has become breeding ground for fresh terrorists.

Also speaking, a top Israeli security official at the border, Mr Bani Beyamani who confirmed the incident to Vanguard, added that “it was strictly based on security reason”, saying that “my friend, there is nothing we can do about the delay”.

When contacted, the Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on MDGs, Mr Luka Wakari, who is also the leader of the FCT delegation said “the long wait and delay at the border was normal, there is nothing, anybody can do about it”.

According to him, “whenever, they (Israelis) suspect you, perhaps because of your name, they will send your name to at least 20 countries to find out if you are a member of the Taliban movement or not, before they will release you”.

The trauma Nigerian pilgrims are subjected to annually at the border between Egypt and Israel due to what officials say is  insecurity at Mount Sinai has further raised the question of the relevance of the site to the pilgrim exercise.

Early in 2007, a Nigerian newspaper had reported how the country’s women who went for that year’s exercise at Mount Sinai were allegedly harassed sexually by Egyptian camel men who would openly ask Nigerian women to ride on their camel to ease their climb to the top of the mountain in exchange of sex; while there are reported cases of attempted rape on some women in the same year.

But beside the urgly incident, the exercise has been adjudged as generally free of any hitch, as Nigerians in Israel have conducted themselves very well, while officials have also been working tirelessly to ensure the well_being of pilgrims.

At all the holy sites, the pilgrims have been praying for the peace and unity of the country, while special prayers are being offered for the country’s political leaders, particularly, President Goodluck Jonathan.