Middle East conflict: NCPC lifts ban on Christian pilgrimage to Israel

The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, NCPC, has lifted the ban on Christian pilgrimage to Israel following an assessment of the security situation in the Holy Land.

The Executive Secretary of the NCPC, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, announced the decision in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Adegbite was at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.

The commission had in February, suspended pilgrimage activities to the region following the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran conflict.

Mr Adegbite said his declaration followed an on-the-spot assessment of the security atmosphere during his three-day visit to Jerusalem.

”I promised everyone that I will be here to see what is happening in the Holy Land. I have been here in the last three days. The Holy Land is peaceful.

“Jerusalem is at peace and will continue to be at peace.

”Consequently, the ban on Christian Pilgrimage from Nigeria to Israel is hereby lifted from today,” he said.

The NCPC boss said that under the new arrangement, Nigerian pilgrims would only be permitted to travel through the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.

He said that pilgrimage routes through Jordan remained suspended due to ongoing security concerns in that territory.

”Jordan is not safe at the moment, and the commission can not take that risk,” he added.

Mr Adegbite expressed confidence in the safety of Nigerian pilgrims, assuring that every prayer offered in the Holy Land would be answered.

He reassured prospective pilgrims that the commission had maintained a record of safe returns from past exercises and that the 2026 exercise would be no exception.

The NCPC helmsman also offered prayers for national unity, praying for peace for President Bola Tinubu, the First Lady, and government officials across all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

The NCPC is the federal agency established to supervise and coordinate the movement of Nigerian Christian pilgrims to holy sites around the world, primarily in Israel, Jordan, and Rome.

In February, escalations stemming from the US-Israel-Iran conflict led to heightened security risks across the Middle Eas

This forced international flight disruptions and prompted several governments, including Nigeria, to temporarily halt religious pilgrimages to the region to protect citizens.

The lifting of the ban marks the formal resumption of state-backed and private Christian pilgrimage operations from Nigeria to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the 2026 pilgrimage calendar.

NAN