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.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has responded by launching attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf.
Many flights to the Middle East have been cancelled, as countries across the region have shut their airspace, leaving passengers stranded.
Rev John Hayab from the Christian Association of Nigeria says all of the Nigerian pilgrims in Israel and the West Bank – about 600 – had been evacuated to Jordan and then back to Nigeria since the conflict broke out on Saturday.
By BBC
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