Fatimah Otunsanya
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, said, yesterday, it is yet to receive any distress call from Nigerians residing in Iran, following ongoing hostilities between Iran and the United States and its ally, Israel.
This came on a day the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is still monitoring the situation in the Middle East.
This is even as dozens of protesters marching around the Maryland area of Lagos, yesterday, chanted anti-US and anti-Israel slogans and called for global condemnation of foreign intervention in sovereign nations. The presence of the demonstrators heightened tensions as passers-by avoided the area.
NigrriaTodayTimes Recall that Shi’ites had on Sunday protested the attack and killing of Iran’s Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Kano, Sokoto, Gombe, Niger, Kaduna, Bauchi and Yobe states.
Meanwhile, the war spread across the Middle East and beyond, yesterday, with Lebanon-based Hezbollah entering the fray, targeting a British air base in Cyprus, as price of Nigeria’s Bonny Light surged to $80 per barrel, yesterday, up from $70 per barrel on Sunday, the highest since July 2025.
Director of Media and Public Relations of NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, who disclosed news of no distress call in a telephone interview with Vanguard, said though there might be Nigerians in Iran, none had officially reached out to the commission for assistance.
“I’m not saying there are no Nigerians there, I’m only saying nobody has sent any distress call,” he clarified.
He explained that flight cancellations to the region are due to ongoing hostilities, stressing that no airline will operate in an active war zone.
“You cannot fly where bombs are going up and down. No airline will fly,” he said, adding that the situation affects all nationals, not just Nigerians.
“There may be ceasefire for two or three days to allow people who are stranded at the airport to be evacuated. That has not been done,” he noted.
Asked to provide an estimate of Nigerians currently affected, Balogun said NiDCOM doesn’t have such data and advised that inquiries be directed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We don’t have embassies there. The only person controlling embassies is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They will be able to tell you,” he said.
On whether NiDCOM is collaborating with airlines or foreign authorities to ensure Nigerians are not left stranded, the spokesperson maintained that such collaboration is not feasible under the current circumstances.
“There is suspension of (flights) by all airlines. We cannot collaborate with anybody,” he said, noting that Nigeria currently has no national carrier operating international routes.
“Which Nigerian airline? We don’t have one now,” he added.
Balogun explained that Nigerians travelling to Iran typically do so as private individuals, often connecting through countries such as United Arab Emirates or Greece.
Speaking on the possibility of activating a full evacuation plan, Balogun said certain conditions must be met before the Federal Government could intervene.
Balogun, who stressed that affected Nigerians must formally request assistance and be willing to return home, said: “You cannot force them; people went there voluntarily. In Sudan and Ukraine, some initially said they were not leaving. So people must seek for help and say, ‘our lives are in danger, can you evacuate us?”
He explained that once such a request was made and conditions permit, the Federal Government could arrange emergency measures, including chartering aircraft and setting up a rescue committee.
“They must be Nigerians and be ready to come back home,” he stated.
He affirmed that the protection of Nigerians abroad remains a core responsibility of the Federal Government, in line with its citizen diplomacy policy.
“If the life of any Nigerian is in danger and it reaches out to us, the Federal Government will look for a way out. Even if we don’t have an aircraft, we can lease or hire for that operation,” he added.
“As far as I know, I’m not aware that anybody has sent a distress call,” he maintained, adding that international protocols must also be observed in situations of global airspace restrictions.
Foreign Ministry looking at rescuing stranded Nigerians
On its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, yesterday, it is considering the option of evacuating Nigerians from the war-torn region as soon as normalcy returned.
Spokesman of the ministry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, who disclosed this, told Vanguard: ‘’We are considering that option while monitoring the situation.’’
