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Nigeria Federal Government said Monday it was finalizing administrative procedures and funding arrangements to evacuate Nigerian citizens stranded in Gulf states affected by the 18-day-old US-Israeli war on Iran, as a separate land corridor across the Armenian border was already operational for Nigerians wishing to leave Iran itself, and Qatar Airways resumed direct flights to Lagos from Doha.
Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa confirmed the government’s position in a statement to reporters.
“The government is working out the necessary administrative details and the release of funds to commence evacuation,” he said. The statement acknowledged that the process had not yet formally begun at the Gulf tier of the crisis while indicating the necessary approvals were being sought. Ebienfa added that the category of Nigerians stranded in Qatar as transit passengers whose flights had been disrupted by the conflict were expected to return home within days as commercial routes normalized. “Qatar Airways has started operating flights to Nigeria. There was a flight to Lagos today from Doha. So, in a few days, the category of Nigerians stranded due to transit flights that were affected by the crisis will all be in Nigeria,” he said, adding that some had already traveled back via Cairo and Nairobi.
For Nigerians in Iran, the operational picture was further advanced. NiDCOM confirmed that willing Nigerians in Iran were being safely escorted across the Armenian border by officials from the Nigerian Embassy in Tehran, ensuring a smooth and secure passage for those wishing to leave. The commission confirmed that no Nigerian in Iran had been affected by the conflict as officials remained at the border to receive all who chose to leave. Embassy staff have been stationed at the crossing point to coordinate with Armenian authorities and assist evacuees on arrival.
The Nigerian community in Iran is relatively small, estimated at between 500 and 1,500 people, primarily students on scholarship programs and traders. The Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria, Gholamreza Raja, separately confirmed in an exclusive statement to The Punch that Iran’s land borders with neighboring countries remained open and were being used by foreign nationals to depart.
“Currently, Iran’s land borders with neighboring countries are open, and normal movement through these routes is ongoing. Many foreign nationals are already using these land routes for travel or departure. Reports indicate that the routes are safe and can be used without difficulty,” he said. Raja added that the Iranian government was “ready to cooperate in facilitating the departure of Nigerian nationals if they wish to leave the country,” and that the embassy of Nigeria in Tehran remained in active communication with members of the Nigerian community.
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The Iranian route presents unique complexities compared with Gulf evacuations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that transporting stranded Nigerian students from universities across Iran to the Armenian border required coordination across a geographically large country under active bombardment, and that Armenian entry conditions had to be met in advance before evacuees could cross. The government confirmed it was also exploring deployment of Nigerian Air Force aircraft for direct evacuation, though the volatile security situation — which has caused the intermittent closure of Iranian, Gulf, and transit airspace throughout the conflict — had made flight planning extremely difficult.
Ebienfa confirmed that one Nigerian who had been injured in attacks in the UAE had received medical treatment and been discharged. UAE authorities confirmed that casualties from the attacks included residents and foreign workers from 26 countries, with Nigeria listed among them. The full list of nationalities affected also included Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Iraq, Nepal, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia, and Sweden.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission chairman Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who has been managing public communications on the diaspora crisis since the war began, said in earlier statements last week that one flight from the Etihad Airways hub in the UAE had reached Lagos just before a renewed airspace closure. She acknowledged the volatile situation and said the government’s crisis response team was on standby to organize evacuation once authorities cleared air corridors for travel. “Once the airspace opens, the multi-agency FG team on crisis and evacuation is on standby,” she said. She had urged Nigerians in affected countries to stay in contact with NiDCOM’s emergency lines and maintain communication with embassy officials while waiting for improvements in the security situation.
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The situation for Nigerians in Dubai remains unresolved. Emirates Airline announced a fresh suspension of all Dubai flights on Monday as Iranian drone strikes forced the closure of Dubai International Airport for a second consecutive day. Emirates had only resumed skeletal operations on its Dubai-Lagos route on March 6 after an earlier disruption, but before the latest suspension, Nigerian passengers who had purchased tickets prior to earlier halt in operations were already grappling with unresolved refund requests. Travel agents say numerous refund applications submitted on behalf of affected passengers have yet to be processed, leaving travelers stranded between waiting for refunds or uncertain travel rescheduling.
The Nigerian government’s response contrasts sharply with that of countries with larger state capacities. Australia confirmed last week that it had evacuated more than 3,200 citizens on 23 commercial flights and was working to clear a backlog of approximately 115,000 Australians in the region at the start of the conflict. Nigeria has not published figures on how many of its citizens are registered in the affected countries or how many have sought consular assistance since February 28.
No official timeline for the commencement of government-funded evacuation flights has been provided. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would provide further updates as the administrative and funding processes were completed.
