According to reports, Nigerians are no longer eligible to use the Republic of Turkey’s e-visa services.
Nigerian visa applicants are now been urged to submit their applications through any Turkish Consulate, according to the Leadership Newspaper.
The sudden change occurred without warning or communication from the Turkish Mission in Nigeria.
However, the development comes soon after some alleged terrorists opened fire on Abuja’s Kuje prison and released a number of notorious Boko Haram prisoners.
A Nigerian, who was impacted by Turkey’s decision, said in a message that quickly went viral, “Just putting this out there. Someone out there with a Schengen /UK/US visa might be booking a ticket to Turkey right now thinking they will apply for a visa electronically. DO NOT. Turkey decided to delist Nigerians from the e-visa list yesterday evening. With no prior warning/ communication. They clearly don’t rate us. Anyway, all Nigerians have to apply via the consulate wherever they are.
“Turns out so many people are/were planning to go to Turkey soon. Honestly, just apply through the consulate. There is still no information online. No press release, nothing! They are disrespectful. An agent told me she applied on behalf of someone yesterday and within the space of 5 minutes, the message on the site had changed. Apparently, it has something to do with the “prison break”/ concerns of terrorism.
“Unfortunately, nationals of the country that you selected are not eligible for e-visa. Kindly visit the nearest Turkish mission to apply for a visa application. Please visit http:www.visa.gov.tr for the full list of the Turkish Embassies and Consulates.”
Following the jailbreak, members of the diplomatic community including the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada have issued security alerts to its nationals in Nigeria.