The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue a travel advisory or a statement for Nigerians living in or trapped in the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran as both countries continue to exchange fire through missiles and drones in a renewed armed conflict.
As of Saturday, no official communication had been made to address the concerns of citizens living in the affected countries, even as other governments initiate evacuations and safety measures for their nationals, and airlines divert or cancel flights immediately after Israel struck Iran.
The federal government has failed to confirm if it’s aware of the well-being of stranded citizens or if its citizens are at risk.
Instead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement on Saturday condemning Israel’s preemptive strike on Iran and urged both countries to “exercise utmost restraint in the interest of regional and global peace”.
Although the total number of documented Nigerians in Israel and Iran is not readily available, Nigeria has a significant number of citizens studying, working and doing business in both countries.
With Israel warning that Tehran, the capital of Iran, would burn if Iranian strikes continue, as both countries exchange missiles, more casualties are likely to occur.
On Friday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Israeli intelligence agency Mossad launched large-scale attacks codenamed Operation Rising Lion against targets at several locations in Iran, killing three top military officials and nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Iranian missiles have killed at least four people and injured over 200 others in Israel.
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