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Nigeria evacuates 500 of its nationals from Lebanon

October 8, 2024 at 8:18 am

A general view of the city as military and civilian planes continue to take off and land at Beirut Airport amid Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon on October 01, 2024 [Murat Şengül/Anadolu Agency]

Nigeria has evacuated 500 of its nationals from Lebanon following Israel’s declaration of the start of its ground attacks in the country, Anadolu reported citing Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement released yesterday, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Eche Abu-Obe, said: “The government has initiated evacuation procedures due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.” He confirmed that 500 Nigerian citizens have already been evacuated from Lebanon.

Abu-Obe noted that over 2,000 Nigerians are currently in Lebanon, and despite efforts by the Nigerian embassy to encourage them to leave, many remain hesitant to return home.

On 23 September, Israel launched its biggest bombing campaign on Lebanon in almost 20 years, displacing 1.2 million civilians while destroying large areas of southern Lebanon and southern boroughs of the capital. It has since announced that it will be launching a ground offensive in Lebanon.

READ: Foreigners flee Lebanon as Israel offensive intensifies