The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) has refuted claims that Nigerian pilgrims are currently in Israel for pilgrimage activities.

The Commission also added that there would be no further pilgrimages to Israel until the Israel/Iran conflict is resolved.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, which was signed by the Deputy Director and Head of Media and Public Relations, NCPC, Celestine Toruka.

The statement noted that no Nigerian Christian pilgrims were in Israel, as the Commission’s 2024 main pilgrimage exercise to Israel and Jordan concluded in March 2025.

Naijaonpoint reports that the NCPC, which is the statutory body responsible for coordinating Christian pilgrimages from Nigeria to Israel and other holy sites worldwide, added that it is closely monitoring the situation between Israel and Iran.

“Given the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran, which escalated on June 13, no Christian pilgrimage will occur in Israel until the crisis is resolved.

“The Commission is closely monitoring the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s government of Nigeria has denounced Israel’s recent assault on Iran, characterising it as an action that has perilously heightened tensions between the two countries.

In a statement released on Saturday by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the federal government conveyed profound concern regarding the escalating hostilities, which have included ongoing missile and aerial strikes exchanged by Iran and Israel.

The Nigerian government called for an immediate cessation of the violence and urged both nations to exercise utmost restraint.