The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission has suspended pilgrimages to Israel and the Middle East.
Glamtush reports that the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) has suspended pilgrimages to Israel and the Middle East following the escalation of tensions in the region.
NCPC’s Executive Secretary, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, said during a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday.
He announced that every pilgrimage of the commission and that of the private pilgrimage operators has been suspended until security in Israel and all the Middle East returns to normalcy.
Bishop Adegbite also assured that the over 500 pilgrims that made up the last batch of the 2025 pilgrimage safely landed in Nigeria on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has promised the safety of Nigerians in the Middle East.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says Nigerian authorities are monitoring the situation with a view to taking the necessary action.
The commission said Nigerian authorities are monitoring the situation and have received calls “from a few Nigerians in Qatar, UAE, and Iran enquiring about preparations for evacuations when it becomes necessary.
“The fact of the matter is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with all relevant agencies for appropriate steps while appealing to Nigerians in the affected countries to follow the travel advice as issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and contact the emergency numbers provided by the ministry.
“Nigerians in affected countries should be rest assured that the federal government is monitoring the situation and will take necessary steps to ensure no Nigerian life is endangered,” NiDCOM said in a statement by its Director of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.
The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in the early hours of Saturday. But the Iranian authorities retaliated and later carried out strikes in some Gulf countries.
