The Nigerian government has condemned the Israeli military’s deadly attacks on Rafah as an affront to humanity. President Bola Tinubu’s administration criticized the bombing of Al Shifa Hospital in early April, the serial bombing of schools, the March 2024 bombing of the Firas Market and the Nuseirat Refugee Camp Market, and the drone attacks on World Central Kitchen aid staff in April.
In a statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Nigeria expressed “gross concern about the safety and welfare of the civilian population of Gaza and the protection of the dignity and sacredness of human life in the enclave.”
The statement deplored the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the conflict and criticized the disregard for ceasefire agreements and violations of humanitarian corridors.
“Nigeria is greatly dismayed at the flagrant disregard of ceasefire agreements, the violation of humanitarian corridors, and the deliberate sabotaging of aid and relief efforts,” the statement said.
Nigeria emphasized that the fundamental human rights, especially the right to life, of the vulnerable civilian population of Gaza must be preserved at all costs. The government called on all stakeholders—including Israel and Palestine, the United Nations, the European Union, human rights groups, civil society organizations, world leaders, and the international community—to intensify efforts towards a speedy resolution of the conflict and the immediate cessation of violence against defenseless people on both sides.
“No lesser alternative will be acceptable. While we consider an intervention on behalf of the people of Gaza as a far-reaching contribution to the preservation of humanity and its values, we also reaffirm our position regarding the two-state solution as vital to ameliorating the prevailing situation,” the statement concluded.