As global powers scramble to deploy military transport planes and chartered aircraft to evacuate their citizens from the escalating conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States, concerns are mounting over the lack of clear plans from the Nigerian government to rescue those stranded in the Middle East.
While countries like the United Kingdom(UK), the United States (U.S), France, and Kazakhstan have already moved thousands of their citizens to safety, the Nigerian government has yet to announce a formal airlift operation, leaving many to wonder if history is repeating itself regarding the slow response to international crises.
Since the outbreak of hostilities on February 28, 2026, the Middle East has seen a surge in emergency departures.
Some airlines have resumed limited flights out of hubs including Dubai and Riyadh, governments also chartered planes to bring home citizens affected by the turmoil, which stranded tens of thousands of travellers worldwide.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers found themselves similarly stranded in the Middle East after Israel and the United States attacked Iran on Saturday and Iran struck back on Gulf states and Israel. With much of the region’s airspace closed and airstrikes intensifying, governments from North America and Africa to Europe and Southeast Asia continued their race to bring their citizens home.
Officials chartered jets or deployed military aircraft, routing stranded travelers through Oman, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia — key exit points where planes could land and take off.
Kazakhstan successfully evacuated nearly 1,000 citizens this week via Jeddah and Muscat, while the British Foreign Office is currently coordinating a massive operation to assist some 200,000 Britons in the region.
A plane carrying French citizens from Oman and then Egypt landed in Paris early Wednesday, the first of several expected repatriation flights organized by France.
A Russian emergency services flight evacuated 117 citizens, including 54 children, from Azerbaijan after they left Iran overland across the border.
The United States said more than 9,000 Americans had returned from the region since Saturday, including more than 300 from Israel.
In contrast, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has maintained a stance of “monitoring the situation,” issuing travel advisories rather than deploying physical assets.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has also confirmed that Nigerians residing in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran have begun reaching out for guidance on possible evacuation amid rising tensions in the Middle East,
However, the agency also announced that it is working with 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.”
The lack of concrete Middle East evacuation plans for Nigerians has sparked criticism from diaspora groups who argue that “vigilance” is an insufficient strategy when airspaces are closing and ground routes are becoming perilous.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that some countries in the Middle East are favourite destinations for Nigerians.
Countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Israel are favourite destinations for Nigerians.
Many Nigerians visit Saudi Arabia and Israel for religious purposes while many Nigerians visit the UAE for holiday purposes.
While the number of Nigewhos that are stranded in the Middle East remains unknown, a lot of citizens travel to these three countries throughout the year.
Information from an aviation analytics company Cirium revealed that of the more than 36,000 flights scheduled to fly to or from the Middle East, more than 20,000 had been cancelled since Saturday.
Thousands of Nigerians could be on these cancelled flights, raising concerns about the lack of determination from the Nigerian Government to send aircraft to evacuate its citizens in the Middle East.
In related development, Nigerian authorities have suspended all pilgrimages to Israel and the occupied West Bank with immediate effect, citing security concerns linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The decision was announced by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), the national body responsible for coordinating Christian pilgrimages.
In a statement, the commission said the measure was necessary to prioritise the “safety and comfort” of Nigerian pilgrims.
