The Nigerian government has commenced the evacuation of its citizens from Iran, escorting them across the border into Armenia as hostilities between US-led forces and Israel intensify against the Islamic Republic.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), confirmed that citizens wishing to leave are being safely guided to the Armenian border by officials from the Nigerian embassy in Tehran.
She added that reception teams are stationed at the border to assist evacuees and assured that no Nigerian casualties have been reported so far.
“Willing Nigerians are being escorted across the Armenian border by officials of the Nigerian embassy in Iran for safe passage,” Dabiri-Erewa posted. “No Nigerian in Iran has been affected by the war as officials remain at the border to receive all who want to leave.”
The precise number of Nigerian citizens currently residing in Iran, as well as the tally of those already evacuated, has not been disclosed.
The evacuation effort marks the 11th day of a conflict that has proven devastating for the region. According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, US and Israeli strikes have resulted in over 1,300 fatalities and injured more than 12,000 others.
The ministry noted that victims range in age from eight months to 88 years, with approximately 200 women among the dead—including 168 schoolgirls from Minab. At least 55 healthcare workers have been wounded, and 11 killed, among them physicians, nurses, and emergency personnel.
In Israel, retaliatory barrages from Iran have claimed 13 lives and wounded nearly 2,000 people. The United States has confirmed the deaths of eight soldiers. Meanwhile, Lebanon reports 394 deaths—including 83 children—from Israeli attacks, with over half a million people displaced amid intensified fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that the conflict will conclude “very soon,” though he indicated an immediate end is unlikely. In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) asserted that Iranians, not Americans, would decide the war’s duration.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei echoed this stance, ruling out ceasefire discussions while military aggression persists.
“We are on the eleventh day of military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime,” Baghaei told a news conference. “We did not start this war.”
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