Nigerian students cry out: We trekked 60km from Ukraine to Poland, hunger, cold killing us
Some students who fled the war-torn cities in Ukraine have said that Nigerians were in a difficult situation due to long traffic gridlock and congestion of refugees at the border with Poland.
The students said they were faced with cold weather, hunger and lack of some basic necessities.
The stranded Nigerians alleged that they were not getting the desired attention from Nigerian diplomats at some borders in Poland, despite the situation they found themselves in.
But at the Ukraine- Romania border, a report from the Nigerian mission indicated that the Nigerian envoys were assisting Nigerians that fled from Ukraine.
Abduljalil Adam Bayero, a Nigerian student leader from the City of Tunabil in Ukraine, has said that prolonged traffic gridlock had made the students trek for over 30 km. He said some trekked for over 5 hours before they could reach the border with Poland.
According to him, officials on the border with Poland gave attention only to those who came in vehicles and to women and children.
He said Nigerians had to trek after crossing the border, before getting a vehicle to embark on a journey to Warsaw, the capital city of Poland.
According to him, the Nigerians found themselves in. a place that was the coldest in the world.
He alleged they were in tents without mats and blankets.
He said the journey to Warsaw was by road which took about 6 hours, but the Nigerians do not even have the vehicles to embark on the journey.
He explained that perhaps there might be Nigerian diplomats in other places but when he visited the border, there was no presence of any Nigerian diplomat to assist the Nigerian students from Ukraine.
He said at the 2 major borders, the Nigerian students were left with no official representation.
According to him, even in Warsaw, some Nigerian students couldn’t get a place to stay and relied on fellow students for assistance.
Another Nigerian student on his way to Warsaw, Abubakar Babaji said they were in difficulties on their way to Warsaw.
” Although I did not face racist acts, our friends told us and I saw the video.”
” They will say if you cross the border call this number, but you will call the number but the call won’t go through. “
” My legs have swollen I’m just looking for a place to rest,” he said.
Many Nigerian students were in the open in extreme cold, with no food and blankets.
They said their phones would soon stop functioning because there was nowhere to charge.
The BBC Hausa Service reports on Tuesday that the Nigerian Government would commence evacuation of the students back home on Wednesday.
About 5,500 Nigerians mostly students from Ukraine were on their way to Poland, Romania; Slovakia and Hungary due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Vanguard
