NCPC lifts ban on Christian pilgrimage to Israel

The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) has lifted the suspension on Christian pilgrimages to Israel after assessing the security situation in the Holy Land.

 

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, announced the decision on Saturday in Jerusalem, saying the ban imposed in February had been withdrawn following a three-day on-the-spot assessment of the security situation.

 

“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,” Adegbite said.

 

He explained that Nigerian pilgrims would now be allowed to travel only through the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, noting that pilgrimage routes through Jordan remain suspended because of security concerns.

 

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

 

Adegbite expressed confidence in the safety of Nigerian pilgrims, assuring prospective travellers that the commission would continue its record of ensuring safe pilgrimage exercises.

 

He also offered prayers for peace and national unity, praying for President Bola Tinubu, the First Lady and government officials across the six geopolitical zones.

 

The NCPC suspended pilgrimages to Israel in February following heightened tensions in the Middle East linked to the US-Israel-Iran conflict, which disrupted international flights and raised security concerns.

 

The lifting of the ban formally resumes state-backed and private Christian pilgrimages from Nigeria to Israel for the remainder of the 2026 pilgrimage calendar.