Abuja: The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) has officially lifted its suspension on Christian pilgrimages to Israel. This decision comes after a comprehensive evaluation of the security conditions in the Holy Land, as announced by the Executive Secretary of the NCPC, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, during a recent statement in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the commission had initially suspended pilgrimage activities in February due to the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran conflict, which raised security concerns in the region. Bishop Adegbite, who recently visited Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, declared that his decision followed a direct assessment of the security situation during his three-day visit to the area. He assured that Jerusalem remains peaceful and declared the ban on Christian pilgrimage from Nigeria to Israel lifted with immediate effect.
Under the new arrangement, Nigerian pilgrims will be required to travel through Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Pilgrimage routes via Jordan remain suspended due to ongoing security issues in the region. Adegbite emphasized that Jordan currently poses safety risks that the commission is unwilling to undertake.
Bishop Adegbite expressed confidence in the safety of Nigerian pilgrims and assured that prayers offered in the Holy Land would be answered. He highlighted the commission’s history of safe returns from past pilgrimages and reaffirmed that the 2026 pilgrimage would maintain this record. He also prayed for national unity and peace for President Bola Tinubu, the First Lady, and government officials across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The NCPC, a federal agency, is responsible for supervising and coordinating the movement of Nigerian Christian pilgrims to holy sites worldwide, with a primary focus on Israel, Jordan, and Rome. The initial suspension of pilgrimages was a response to increased security risks in the Middle East due to escalations from the US-Israel-Iran conflict, which led to international flight disruptions and prompted several governments, including Nigeria, to halt pilgrimages temporarily for citizen safety.
With the lifting of the ban, state-backed and private Christian pilgrimage operations from Nigeria to Tel Aviv are set to resume for the remainder of the 2026 pilgrimage calendar.