The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says the Federal Government is working to ensure the safety of Nigerians in the Middle East amid the crisis in the region.

NiDCOM’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, gave the assurance in a statement on Tuesday.

The commission said Nigerian authorities are monitoring the situation and have received calls “from a few Nigerians in Qatar, UAE, and Iran enquiring about preparations for evacuations when it becomes necessary.

“The fact of the matter is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with all 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 by the ministry.

“Nigerians in affected countries should be rest assured that the federal government is monitoring the situation and will take necessary steps to ensure no Nigerian life is endangered,” the statement read in part.

On Saturday, the Federal Government advised Nigerians in the Middle East, especially in Iran, to take extra security precautions in the wake of tensions in the region.

“All Nigerians in Iran and affected Gulf countries are advised to remain extremely vigilant and conscious of their surroundings at all times,” a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read in part.

“Avoid areas known to be strategic, military, or government installations, as these could be potential flashpoints.”

“We wish to assure the general public that the safety and well-being of Nigerian citizens abroad remains the top priority of the Federal Government,” the ministry said while calling on parties involved in the conflict to de-escalate tensions.

The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in the early hours of Saturday. But the Iranian authorities retaliated and later carried out strikes in some Gulf countries.

Iran Targets US Embassy

Days after the escalation of tensions, drones hit the US embassy in Riyadh, and more explosions rang out in Gulf cities.

This was as Iran hit back at industrial and diplomatic targets across the Middle East and governments sought to evacuate their nationals from the region.

Four days after US and Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and triggered a regional war that has seen missile and drone strikes across the Gulf and beyond, AFP reporters in the Saudi capital saw smoke damage on the walls and roof of the American embassy.

Saudi police were swarming the diplomatic quarter and checking the IDs of everyone who entered. Several roads were blocked, including those to the US embassy. The Saudi foreign ministry described the attack as “heinous and unjustified”.

AFP journalists in the Bahraini and Qatari capitals heard more explosions and sirens, and the Iranian armed forces announced they had launched strikes on targets in Israel and on the major US air base in Al-Udeid, Qatar. Qatar said it had thwarted attacks on its airport.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini, meanwhile, warned that “the gates of hell will open more and more, moment by moment, upon the United States and Israel”.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said he was “deeply shocked” by how the war’s toll on civilians, and the UN nuclear watchdog said Iran’s Natanz enrichment plant appeared in satellite imagery to have suffered “recent damage”.

Powerful explosions also shook Tehran through the night, as fighter jets flew over the Iranian capital and US President Donald Trump threatened to escalate the conflict.

On Monday, the US State Department had urged “Americans to DEPART NOW” from all of the countries and territories of the Middle East “due to serious safety risks”. (Channels)

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