Nigerians caught in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran have called for assistance from underground shelters amid the heavy exchange of missiles between the two nations.
Those who spoke to newsmen on Saturday criticised the Nigerian government for insufficient action, noting that other countries have already started evacuating their citizens.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government announced it was awaiting border clearance to rescue over 1,000 Nigerians trapped in the conflict zones.
Reports indicate that at least 264 people, including 70 women and children, have died in the two countries since the war began.
The war started last Friday when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, conducting guided missile strikes and air raids targeting suspected Iranian nuclear and military sites, including air-defense installations and residential areas in eastern Tehran such as the Shahrak-e-Mahallati neighbourhood, home to senior IRGC commanders, as well as targets in Tabriz and other cities.
Several high-ranking Iranian military officials, including General Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC commander Hossein Salami, were among those killed in the Israeli offensive.
Tehran condemned the Israeli strikes, describing them as “the most direct act of war” in decades of covert hostilities.
In retaliation, on June 13, 2025, Iran launched a large-scale missile barrage, firing over 100 ballistic missiles at Israeli cities including Tel Aviv, where the Nigerian embassy is located.
Most Nigerians living in Israel reside in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Several Nigerians in major Israeli cities shared their experiences with our correspondents.
Ekene Abaka, a Nigerian in Tel Aviv, said:
“We are in an Israeli bomb shelter and I can’t answer calls right now.”
A software engineer living in Jerusalem, who spoke on condition of anonymity from a bomb shelter, revealed:
“Most of the areas where Nigerians live in Israel are in Tel Aviv. As a matter of fact, that is the main area where most of the missiles are going. I live in Jerusalem.
“There are about three families in Jerusalem from Nigeria, but the majority of Nigerians live in Tel Aviv. We are on the run.
“The Nigerian embassy is situated in Tel Aviv. It has shut down. It’s not doing anything about the issue at the moment. We ran into a bomb shelter to protect ourselves from missiles coming from Iran.”
A video shared by Travels Vlog on Facebook showed Nigerians scrambling into a bomb shelter after the Israeli government sounded a missile warning. One voice cried:
“Everybody is running helter-skelter now. I didn’t grab my water. Oh! Those are the missiles there. They have fallen now.”
Upon reaching a locked shelter, another voice urged:
“Oh! It’s closed. Why did they lock this place? Let’s go, there is another one over there. We can’t stay here. This place is not safe.”
Eventually, the group found cover and waited anxiously for the missile threat to pass.
The Travels Vlog host Solomon explained in a live video:
“There are missiles coming in, but 10 minutes before they hit, the Israeli government detects them and sends us a direct message to immediately leave our homes and run to the shelter. A few minutes afterwards, the security siren starts blaring, and that’s when panic sets in.”
The Middle East conflict has led many governments to evacuate their nationals from both Iran and Israel.
Over a dozen countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Greece, and Bulgaria, have contacted their citizens and facilitated repatriation by air, sea, and road.
AFP reported that the Czech Republic and Slovakia flew home 181 people, Greece repatriated 105 citizens plus some foreign nationals via Egypt, while the United States and China also evacuated hundreds to thousands of their nationals.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Nigerian Embassies in Israel and Tehran were actively reaching out to citizens and coordinating their safe return, though no Nigerians had yet been evacuated as of Thursday night.
Hope Omobeauty, a Nigerian woman featured in Solomon’s Vlog podcast, said:
“I have people in Israel who are trying to leave, but there is no way.”
The Israeli government has shut down all activities until at least Sunday at 8 pm, worsening conditions for Nigerians in the country.
The software engineer lamented:
“In Israel, rent is paid every month. At workplaces, you’re paid per hour. But all business activities have been shut down, so there is no income for anyone at the moment. We are scared because we don’t even know how we will pay our next rent or feed our children.
“There is an announcement that everything will reopen on Sunday, schools, markets, and places of worship, but it is not guaranteed. It all depends on how Iran continues the war, whether they will carry on with the bombardment or not. We don’t sleep at night because that’s when the missiles fall.
“What the officials at the Nigerian embassy do is perform their formal obligations, grant visas and handle diplomatic or travel assignments. They don’t engage in the welfare of Nigerians. If anything happens, you are on your own. They don’t do anything to help Nigerian citizens here.”
Nearly 1,000 Nigerians stranded in Iran remain stuck as the Federal Government awaits border clearance from Armenia to begin evacuations.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said:
“The Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy met officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Armenia, which is the nearest border, to discuss modalities of moving stranded Nigerians via buses to Yerevan, while waiting to be airlifted to Nigeria.
“The Embassy has also advised Nigerians to stay away from demonstrations, remain in safe areas, and stay glued to their phones for evacuation messages once arrangements are concluded.
“At the moment, the Embassy has concluded arrangements with bus companies to hire buses that will convey us all to the transit country, Yerevan, Armenia. However, we are awaiting permission from the transit country before moving from locations already earmarked for evacuation.”
Ebienfa also disclosed “This is to ensure a smooth passage through the border and avoid any bottlenecks.
“All hands are on deck to get permission, including for transit and final airlifting to Abuja from Yerevan, Armenia.”
