About 600 Nigerian students stranded in war-hit Iran have appealed to the Federal Government to urgently evacuate them as intensified aerial strikes by the United States and Israel heighten tensions in the region.
One of the affected students, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he represented Nigerians studying at Ahlul Bayt University and other institutions across the country.
He disclosed that many of the students had been forced out of their hostels since the outbreak of hostilities, leaving them stranded and vulnerable.
“We are about 600 students across different universities in Iran. We have been displaced from our hostels and some of us are currently around the Iran-Armenia border without any assistance. The situation may worsen in the coming days,” he said.
The student expressed fears that border closures could further complicate their evacuation, noting that efforts to reach authorities, including the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, had yet to yield results.
He added that although there were earlier indications of a possible evacuation coordinated by the commission, officials at the Nigerian embassy reportedly informed them that no immediate plan was in place.
According to him, students whose families could afford travel tickets were being advised to arrange their own movement to neighbouring Armenia, where visa facilitation could be provided.
The students lamented that while other countries had evacuated their citizens, Nigerians remained stranded, with some reportedly located in Qom, an area said to have witnessed recent attacks.
“We are among the few still left around the border areas. Returning to school is no longer an option due to the ongoing crisis,” the source added.
Reacting, an official of the commission’s Press and Protocol Unit, Gabriel Odu, said the Federal Government was making arrangements to evacuate Nigerians not only from Iran but also from other conflict-affected countries in the Middle East when conditions permit.
He urged affected persons to utilise official communication channels provided by the government to stay in contact with Nigerian missions in the region.
