How Nigeria Rescued Infants Trapped In Gaza – Minister

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed on Thursday that Nigeria significantly contributed to a diplomatic effort to evacuate infants and babies from Gaza to hospitals located in Jordan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

During the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series held in Abuja, Tuggar explained that the intervention was initiated following a request from the Red Cross, which sought Nigeria’s support in relocating the children, many of whom were in critical condition.

He further emphasised that Nigeria made a calculated decision to act, taking into account the delicate medical conditions of the children and the challenges associated with long-distance transportation.

“The Red Cross reached out to us, asking if Nigeria would be willing to take in some of the infants from Gaza because they were looking for countries that had expressed concern over the dire humanitarian situation.

“Our response was that we cannot take the risk of flying such fragile infants, some born with heart conditions, all the way from the Middle East to Nigeria. If something happens, people will question why we took such a risk when we have our own healthcare challenges here,” he stated.

He said the Nigerian government leveraged diplomatic channels to negotiate with the governments of Jordan, the UAE, and Egypt, urging them to take in the children.

“We used our good offices and diplomatic connections to reach out to the Foreign Ministers of these countries and impress upon them the need to accept and provide medical care for the infants. And alhamdulillah, it succeeded,” Tuggar added.