The governor of Bauchi state, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, joined millions of Muslim pilgrims who threw pebbles at the devil yesterday. The governor is currently on pilgrimage to the Holy City, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Clad in white robes signifying a state of purity, men and women from 165 countries converged on Jamarat to perform the ritual from a three-storey bridge erected to ease congestion after earlier stampedes.

The pilgrims threw seven stones each at a pillar symbolising satan, shouting “Allahu akbar” (“God is greatest”) under the watchful eyes of security forces.

Saudi Arabia deployed more than 130,000 security forces and medics as well as modern technology including surveillance drones to maintain order.