Nigerians in Israel and Iran are pleading for evacuation from underground shelters amid escalating missile exchanges in the Israel-Iran war, criticizing the Nigerian government’s slow response as other nations evacuate citizens.
The conflict, which began June 13, 2025, with Israel’s Operation Rising Lion targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, has killed 264 people, including 70 women and children, across both countries. Iran retaliated with over 100 ballistic missiles aimed at Israeli cities like Tel Aviv, where most Nigerians in Israel reside, forcing them into bomb shelters as economic and social activities halt.
Nigerians in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, including Ekene Abaka and a software engineer, described seeking safety in shelters amid frequent missile alerts. They expressed frustration over the Nigerian embassy in Tel Aviv closing operations without aiding citizens, leaving them unable to pay rent or sustain livelihoods as businesses remain shuttered until at least June 22, 2025.
The Federal Government is awaiting Armenian border clearance to evacuate nearly 1,000 Nigerians from Iran via buses to Yerevan for airlifting to Abuja. The Nigerian Embassy in Tehran has secured buses but needs approval to proceed. Meanwhile, countries like the U.S., China, and Greece have begun evacuating their citizens by air, sea, and land.
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