The Federal Government has ramped up efforts to rescue Nigerians stranded in Lebanon as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates.
According to PUNCH, the President of the Nigerian Community in Lebanon, Mr. Roland Aigbovbiosa, more than 70 Nigerians have registered for evacuation from the increasingly dangerous situation.
The conflict intensified in September when Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Iran-backed militant leaders.
Although Israel’s defense system intercepted the missiles, the incident has heightened regional instability, including in Lebanon, which shares a border with Israel and faces its internal challenges.
In response, the Federal Government called Nigerians in Lebanon to contact the Nigerian Embassy in Beirut for profiling and potential evacuation.
The alert, posted on X.com (formerly Twitter) on October 1 by the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, urged citizens to take immediate action.
Government agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency, are working closely with the Nigerian mission in Lebanon to activate emergency evacuation protocols.
Some Nigerians trapped in the country have called on the Federal Government for swift intervention as the situation in Beirut worsens.
NEMA’s spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, confirmed that efforts are being intensified to evacuate citizens from the crisis zone.
“That is the whole sense of it. If it happens, fine. If it doesn’t happen, fine. At least, it shows that the government did not fold its arms while its citizens were in a crisis zone,” Ezekiel said, emphasizing that preparations are underway.
Providing an update on registration for evacuation, Aigbovbiosa said on Saturday, “Last week, the number was around 30. But since then, Nigerians have been coming almost every day, so we now have a little above 70.”
He further urged the government to act quickly: “Personally, I oppose the idea of waiting for the number to increase to either 400 or 500 before coming to evacuate the people, because even the life of a single person matters. I believe that whatever we have is enough for the evacuation to begin because the people who have indicated an interest in going back home are suffering.”
The Federal Government is expected to continue finalizing its evacuation plans as the conflict in Lebanon unfolds.
