Nigerians in Qatar, UAE, and Iran have been making enquiries on plans for evacuation following the crisis in the Middle East, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has said.
This is contrary to reports that there have been no distress calls yet from Nigerians following the war that broke out on Monday.
Earlier reports had quoted the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols of NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, as having said this.
But in a rebuttal in the early hours of Tuesday, Balogun said he never issued such a statement.
He equally told The Eagle Online that he never spoke with anyone on the fallout of the war launched on Iran by the United States of America and Israel.
The statement by Balogun on Tuesday, titled: “Re: Middle East Crisis: No distress calls yet from Nigerians in Iran, said: “The attention of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has been drawn to a statement credited to the Commission Spokesman, Abdur-Rahman Balogun that there are no distress calls from Nigerians stranded in Middle East due to the ongoing crisis in the region.
“I never issued such statement.
“On the contrary, the Commission has actually received calls from a few Nigerians in Qatar, UAE, and Iran enquiring about preparations for evacuations when it becomes necessary.
“The fact of the matter is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with all relevant agencies for appropriate steps while appealing to Nigerians in the affected countries to follow the travel advice as issued by the Ministry of foreign affairs and contact the emergency numbers provided by the ministry.
“Nigerians in affected countries should be rest assured that the federal government is monitoring the situation and would take necessary steps to ensure no Nigerian life is endangered.”
