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IRAN & ISRAEL WAR UPDATE |
In the midst of intense missile fire between Israel and Iran, Nigerians caught in the conflict have sought assistance from underground shelters. Citizens slams the Nigerian government for not doing enough, adding that other countries had started evacuating their citizens. Meanwhile, the Federal Government said it was awaiting border clearance to rescue over 1,000 Nigerians in the warring countries.
According to reports, 264 people, including 70 women and children, have died in the two countries since the war started.
The war began last Friday when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, with guided missiles and air raids pounding suspected Iranian nuclear and military sites, including air-defense installations, as well as residential areas in eastern Tehran, notably the Shahrak-e-Mahallati neighborhood, home to senior IRGC commanders, and targets in Tabriz and other cities.
High-ranking Iranian military figures, including General Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC commander Hossein Salami, were among those killed in the Israeli offensive.
Tehran said in a statement that Israel's strikes were "the most direct act of war" in decades of covert fighting. In a retaliatory response on June 13, 2025, Iran launched a large-scale missile barrage, firing over 100 ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, where the Nigerian embassy is located.
The majority of Nigerians living in Israel are found in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, according to checks. Sources confirmed that nearly all economic, social, and religious activities have been suspended in major Israeli cities.
A Nigerian in Tel Aviv, Ekene Abaka, said since the war began, members of the Nigerian community in the city had joined other foreigners to take cover in underground shelters provided by the Israeli military, pending an opportunity to escape the country.
“We are in an Israeli bomb shelter and I can’t answer calls right now,” Abaka said in a hasty Facebook message to the media.
A software engineer living in Jerusalem, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Nigerians in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem had been scrambling for the past few days since the face-off between the two nations started.
Although many Israelis had perished, the source, who also claimed to be speaking from a bomb shelter, stated that Nigerians had not yet sustained any casualties.
He, on the other hand, railed against the fact that the Nigerian embassy had stopped all official and diplomatic activities but continued to support afflicted Nigerians in the nation. “Most of the areas where Nigerians live in Israel are in Tel Aviv. As a matter of fact, the main area where most of the missiles are going.
I live in Jerusalem.
Although the majority of Nigerians reside in Tel Aviv, there are approximately three Nigerian families in Jerusalem. We are on the run.
"Tel Aviv is home to the Nigerian embassy. It has shut down. Nigeria government is not doing anything about the issue at the moment. To shield ourselves from Iranian missiles, we came across a bomb shelter, he continued.
Meanwhile, in a video shared on Tuesday by Travels Vlog, a Facebook page documenting the daily experiences of Nigerians in Israel and other parts of the Middle East, some Nigerians were seen scrambling into a bomb shelter after the Israeli government sounded the security alarm, warning of incoming Iranian missiles.
“Everybody is running helter-skelter now. I didn’t grab my water. Oh! Those are the missiles there. They have fallen now,” one of them cried out in fear.
However, one of the shelters was locked as they approached it. “Oh! It’s closed. Why did they lock this place? Let’s go, there is another one over there. We cannot remain here. This place is not safe,” another voice urged as the group rushed off in search of an open shelter under the night sky.
When they finally reached a covered spot, they sat on the ground, visibly shaken, waiting as the blaring alarm slowly faded and the missiles vanished from sight.
The Travels Vlog host, identified as one Solomon, explained in a live video on Wednesday that people were informed about incoming Iranian missiles through a text message from the government.
“There are missiles coming in, but 10 minutes before they hit, the Israeli government detects them and sends us a direct message to immediately leave our homes and run to the shelter.
A few minutes afterwards, the security siren starts blaring, and that’s when panic sets in,” he said.
The situation in the Middle East has prompted governments around the world to evacuate their nationals from both Iran and Israel, where airspace closures and missile fire have made civilian travel dangerous or impossible.
No fewer than 12 countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Greece, and Bulgaria, have contacted their citizens in the warring nations and repatriated hundreds by air, sea, and road.
Many evacuees crossed land borders on foot before boarding repatriation flights from neighboring countries.
Agency France-Presse reported on Thursday that the Czech Republic and Slovakia flew home 181 people on government planes, while Greece returned home 105 of its citizens plus a number of foreign nationals via Egypt.
The United States announced plans on Wednesday to evacuate Americans by air and sea, while China evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and several hundred more from Israel.
The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Tuesday night, revealed that the Nigerian Embassies in Israel and Tehran (Iran) were actively reaching out to affected citizens and coordinating efforts to ensure their safe return.
However, as of Thursday night, the Federal Government had yet to evacuate any Nigerian trapped in the countries.
A woman, identified as Hope Omobeauty, during Solomon’s Vlog podcast, said some of her people had been trying to leave Israel but had found no way.
She stated, "I have people in Israel who are attempting to leave, but there is no way." The Israeli government has shut down all activities until at least Sunday at 8pm, further worsening conditions for Nigerians in the country.
Israel announced that all educational institutions, including kindergartens, daycare centers, schools, special education programmed, summer camps, youth organizations, and higher education facilities, had been closed.
Speaking about this, the engineer told our media team that the closures had negatively affected the livelihoods of Nigerians.
He lamented the “indifference and insensitivity” of the Nigerian embassy to their predicament.
“In Israel, rent is paid every month. At workplaces, you’re paid per hour. However, due to the cessation of all business operations, there is currently no income for anyone. We are scared because we don’t even know how we will pay our next rent or feed our children,” he said.
There is an announcement that schools, markets, and places of worship will all reopen on Sunday, but this is not guaranteed. It all depends on how Iran continues the war, whether they will carry on with the bombardment or not. We don’t sleep at night because that’s when the missiles fall.
The Nigerian embassy's staff is responsible for carrying out official duties, issuing visas, and managing diplomatic or travel assignments.
They do not contribute to the well-being of Nigerians. If anything happens, you are on your own. They don’t do anything to help Nigerian citizens here.”
Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 Nigerians stranded in Iran have remained in limbo, as the Federal Government awaits final border clearance from Armenia to begin their evacuation.
According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Nigerian Embassy in Tehran has completed logistical arrangements to move citizens to Armenia, the nearest border country, where they are to be airlifted home from the capital, Yerevan.
He told our media team that embassy officials were in close talks with Armenian authorities to finalize the movement of evacuees across the Iran-Armenia border.
While bus transport has been secured, approval from Armenia to allow Nigerians to cross the border is still pending.
“The Charge Affaires of the Embassy met officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Armenia, which is the nearest border, to discuss modalities of moving stranded Nigerians via buses to Yerevan, while waiting to be airlifted to Nigeria.
“The Embassy has also advised Nigerians to stay away from demonstrations, remain in safe areas, and stay glued to their phones for evacuation messages once arrangements are concluded.
“At the moment, the Embassy has concluded arrangements with bus companies to hire buses that will convey us all to the transit country, Yerevan, Armenia. However, we are awaiting permission from the transit country before moving from locations already earmarked for evacuation,” Ebienfa said.
He said to prevent complications at the crossing, the embassy was coordinating with Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs by submitting updated lists of evacuees, including personal details.
“This is to ensure a smooth passage through the border and avoid any bottlenecks.
“All hands are on deck to get permission, including for transit and final airlifting to Abuja from Yerevan, Armenia,” he stated.