Family mourns Nigerian pilgrim who fled Boko Haram but died in Haj crush

Pilgrims returning from their Haj in Saudi Arabia look on at the General Aviation Terminal of the Abuja Airport, Nigeria September 29, 2015. REUTERS/ Afolabi Sotunde

KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Three years after his family fled their northeastern Nigerian home to escape threats from Boko Haram militants, Mudasir Gambo must have thought his luck had changed when he won a ticket to attend the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

But in a cruel twist of fate, the 19-year-old, who had memorised the entire Koran when he was eight, was among more than 700 pilgrims killed last month in a crush outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca.