A report has indicated that efforts to evacuate Nigerians from Lebanon by the Federal Government have been stalled.
Despite initial announcements of an evacuation plan, Nigerian in the crisis-ridden country are currently stranded.
The evacuation efforts were initiated in response to escalating tensions in the Middle East after Iran’s missile attacks on Israel on October 1, 2024.
However, a report by Punch states that low registration numbers and reluctance among Nigerians in Lebanon complicated the process.
The evacuation efforts were initiated in response to escalating tensions in the Middle East after Iran’s missile attacks on Israel on October 1, 2024.
The current crisis began when Iran launched a barrage of 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel, in retaliation for the assassination of Iran-backed militant leaders.
The missile attack, which targeted key sites in Israel, sent Israelis scrambling to shelters, raising concerns of a wider regional conflict.
Although the Israeli Defense Forces managed to intercept many of the missiles, the incident heightened instability in the region, including Lebanon, which borders Israel and has its internal security challenges.
In response to the situation, the Federal Government activated its emergency evacuation protocols, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinating efforts alongside the National Emergency Management Agency, the Department of State Services, and other key agencies.
These agencies worked closely with the Nigerian mission in Lebanon to ensure that citizens who wished to be evacuated were safely brought home.
Giving updates on whether the Federal Government would evacuate the Nigerians in Lebanon despite the reduced tension in the country, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Eche Abu-Obe, simply stated that the “situation is under observation.”
