Nigerians attempting to travel to or from Qatar, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have been stranded following the ongoing United States and Israel war against Iran.
The situation has forced carriers, including Air France, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algerie, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Lufthansa to announce mass flight cancellations.
After the airstrikes against Iran, the latter attacked US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, among others.
Passengers attempting to travel through Qatar Airways outbound from Nigeria were stopped from flying on Saturday morning.
Airspaces shut
Sunday PUNCH gathered that to a large extent, flights across Middle East countries were cancelled on Saturday, as several countries shut their airspaces after the US, Israel and Iran launched attacks and counterattacks.
The civil aviation authority said Syria closed part of its airspace in the south along the border with Israel for 12 hours.
Jordan’s Air Force was said to be conducting drills to defend the kingdom’s skies.
Kuwait closed its airspace, with its military later saying it had engaged incoming missiles.
Russia’s air transport authority, Rosaviatsia, said it was cancelling all commercial flights to both Israel and Iran in the wake of the strikes until further notice.
Nigerian passengers stuck
Earlier on Saturday, passengers who were already onboard a Qatar Airways flight told Sunday PUNCH that the airline deboarded all passengers over claims that the airspace in Doha had been closed.
One of them said, “I had planned so many things around this trip. Suddenly, they announced that the airport in Doha is not responding, and honestly, I don’t even understand what that means. I’m wondering if they can reroute us through another destination without passing through Doha. This situation is really painful.”
Another passenger, who was travelling with a family member, said, “With this development, only God knows when my sister will be able to return to school. We understand this is a genuine situation, but it is really painful.”
Qatar Airways Group, in a statement on Saturday, announced a temporary suspension of flights due to Qatari airspace closure.
The aviation company stressed the temporary suspension of its flights to and from Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
The statement partly read, “The safety of our passengers and employees is always our highest priority, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Also, Air India suspended flights to all destinations in the Middle East.
Speaking through its X account, the airline said, “In view of the developing situation in parts of the Middle East, all Air India flights to all destinations in the Middle East have been suspended.”
The Chairman of the International Airlines Operators Committee, Damilola Ogunyeye, confirmed that outbound airlines were beginning to cancel flights following the closure of airspaces in the troubled zones.
Ogunyeye said, “It is an unfortunate situation that we have currently in the world; more trouble to travel experience and people will start having less confidence in safety in their travel via air. As we all know, in the sky there is no parking space when things happen, so it’s quite sad, but we only hope that things will soon come back to normal.
“Today, Qatar cancelled, Emirates cancelled because they don’t want to take any risk and in aviation, safety comes first. We don’t take risks, not even when we don’t know how much things can escalate. We can only pray that things get better fast and peace comes back to reign in the troubled regions.”
Also, the President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agents, Yinka Folami, said passengers had become stuck after the cancellation of their travel plans.
He said, “Yes, airlines have started turning passengers back home. Just this morning, Qatar Airways asked passengers to disembark and return home because the airspaces have been shut. There are dangers in the airspace and you know safety is most paramount in aviation.”
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, in a statement on Saturday, warned that ongoing restrictions were affecting international flight operations to and from Nigeria.
According to the agency, several scheduled flights linking Nigerian airports with Middle Eastern destinations have either been cancelled or delayed as airlines adjust routes to avoid conflict zones.
FAAN advised affected passengers to maintain direct communication with their airlines for updated information.
The statement partly read, “Passengers affected by these disruptions are strongly advised to contact their respective airlines directly for up-to-date information on flight status, rebooking options and further guidance.”
The agency said it was working closely with international aviation regulators and airline operators to track developments and ensure passenger safety remained paramount.
“FAAN continues to monitor the situation in collaboration with relevant aviation authorities and airline operators and will provide updates as necessary.
“We regret the inconvenience and appreciate the understanding and cooperation of the travelling public,” the authority added.
The United States and Israel have struck multiple locations across Iran, including the capital, Tehran, in what US President Donald Trump described as ‘major combat operations’.
The attacks started after failed negotiations between the US and Iran over the latter’s suspected nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
This was after weeks of mounting threats from Trump and eight months after the US and Israel waged a 12-day war against Iran.
Iran has struck back with missiles aimed at northern Israel and at US military bases in the Middle East.
Details of casualties and damage in Iran and Israel are sparse at the moment.
FG warns Nigerians in Iran, Gulf states
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has warned Nigerians residing in Iran and neighbouring Gulf countries.
In a release on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the government was closely monitoring the “evolving and volatile situation in the Middle East.”
The ministry cautioned that the heightened tension could lead to further escalation, urging Nigerians in affected areas to take precautionary measures.
The government advised Nigerians to maintain constant vigilance and avoid sensitive locations.
“Avoid areas known to be strategic, military, or government installations, as these could be potential flashpoints,” the ministry said.
“It is strongly recommended that Nigerians restrict non-essential movement and travel within the country until the security situation becomes clearer and stabilises. Avoid large gatherings and public demonstrations.
“Citizens are strongly advised to strictly comply with all security and safety directives issued by the local authorities to ensure their safety. Remember that cooperation with local law enforcement is paramount for safety,” the statement said.
Nigerians were also encouraged to stay informed through credible sources and avoid misinformation.
The ministry disclosed that Nigerian embassies in Tehran and neighbouring Gulf countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, had been asked to provide consular support.
The ministry assured Nigerians that it would continue to assess the situation and provide updates.
Iran’s supreme leader feared killed
In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, suggested that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, may have been killed in the strikes.
Speaking on the matter on Saturday, Netanyahu said “all indications show this tyrant is no longer with us.”
According to the Israeli Government, several senior Iranian officials were eliminated during the coordinated assault, although Tehran has not officially confirmed the extent of the casualties.
President Trump also claimed that Khamenei had been killed.
Fox News and Daily Mail UK reported that Khamenei was killed in an airstrike.
Ex-envoys, predict oil price spite
Former Nigerian ambassadors warned that escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel, with the backing of the United States, could trigger a surge in global oil prices and complicate peace and security efforts worldwide.
The former envoys, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH, described the situation as a “complex show of power” with far-reaching economic and diplomatic implications for Nigeria and the international community.
A former Nigerian ambassador to Algeria, Mohammed Mabdul, said the long-running tension in the Middle East had reached a delicate stage, fuelled by strategic rivalries and unresolved political grievances.
According to him, Western powers, particularly the United States, have consistently supported Israel, while many Arab nations sympathetic to the Palestinian cause lack the political will to confront Israel directly.
He argued that Iran sees itself as a defender of Palestinian rights and possesses sufficient military capacity to confront Israel, though he described that capacity as “limited.”
“The interest of the United States is to make sure that the Iranians don’t have nuclear power which they can use to eliminate Israel. So, they will do anything to protect the interests of Israel,” Mabdul stated.
Beyond the battlefield, Mabdul stressed the enormous economic risks, particularly concerning global oil supplies.
“About two-thirds of oil in the world pass through the Strait of Hormuz. If they decide to block that passage, there is no alternative route that will be of economic interest. If the oil cannot pass through the Strait of Hormuz, then it means the prices of oil will go up,” Mabdul said.
He added that any disruption in the waterway or attacks on oil vessels would significantly affect global trading activities and energy markets.
Similarly, former Ambassador Godknows Igali described the escalation as deeply troubling and warned that further military build-up in the region could snowball into a wider conflagration.
He called for urgent multilateral diplomacy, suggesting that the United Nations Security Council should convene immediately, though he expressed doubt about its effectiveness given America’s veto power.
Igali also raised concerns over the deployment of additional American troops and warships to the Gulf region.
“Aircraft carriers are all over. Which means that if Iran continues with any of the attacks, America will strike again, Israel will strike, and this will snowball into a wider conflagration,” he warned.
On the implications for Nigeria, Igali noted that many Nigerians work across all three countries involved in the dispute as doctors, engineers, nurses, and many more careers including in the oil and gas sector, raising the prospect of a consular emergency should hostilities intensify.
He added that Iran, Nigeria and US are oil-producing countries, stressing there is likely to be an increment in oil prices due to the position Iran holds.
Economically, he acknowledged that rising oil prices could boost Nigeria’s revenues as an oil-producing country.
“To increase oil prices means that we will make more money and the oil prices have already gone up with the situation of America and Iran,” Igali said.
However, he cautioned that the broader global energy disruption and instability could offset any short-term gains.
Also, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Yemi Faronbi, warned that while the war might trigger a massive financial windfall for Nigeria, the unpredictability of the fallout is a grave concern.
He said Iran was likely to target American bases across the Middle East in countries like the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, enlarging the theatre of war and creating global instability.
Faronbi suggested that Nigeria’s diplomatic leaning toward the US could put the country in the crosshairs.
“Given the kind of relationship we are building with America, we find that Iran will, in fact, attack Nigeria as a likely ally of America,” Faronbi warned.
He emphasised that for developing nations like Nigeria to grow, they need a “predictable economic environment and a stable world market,” not the volatile “accidental” wealth brought by global conflict.
Faronbi noted that Iran’s membership in BRICS and its close ties with China creates a complex web of “global economic instability.”
“If Nigeria is perceived as drifting too far into the American orbit during this war, it risks alienating other major economic partners, potentially leading to diplomatic sabotage that affects trade and infrastructure loans,” he said.
A security expert and Executive Director, Foundation for Peace Professionals, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, urged the Federal Government to abandon the country’s long-standing non-aligned foreign policy.
He argued that recent global developments underscored the urgency of adopting a more interest-driven diplomatic posture.
Nigeria adopted a non-aligned stance in the 1960s following independence, aligning with a bloc of countries that sought to avoid formal allegiance to either the Western or Eastern blocs during the Cold War.
The policy was aimed at safeguarding sovereignty, promoting African solidarity, and preserving diplomatic flexibility.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Hamzat said, “The world has moved beyond Cold War-era neutrality. Non-alignment once protected Nigeria’s independence; today, it is mistaken for indecision.
“The US attack on Iran shows that global alignments are being redrawn in real time. Nigeria cannot afford to drift.
“We must stop drifting and start negotiating, our foreign policy must deliver security, jobs, technology transfer, and strategic leverage not just photo opportunities and empty communiqués.”
He contended that Nigeria’s continued reliance on symbolic neutrality weakens its bargaining power in security cooperation, trade negotiations, and energy partnerships.
Hamzat warned that failure to adapt to rapidly evolving global dynamics could diminish Nigeria’s relevance on the international stage.
(Punch)
