Several Nigerians – mostly students – who are in Ukraine are currently stranded even as Russia continues to attack the eastern European nation, The PUNCH has learnt.

This is as the National Association of Nigerian Students in Ukraine sent out a Save Our Soul message to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), seeking immediate evacuation from Ukraine.

The Acting-President of the National Association of Nigerian Students in Ukraine, Eunice Eleaka, pleaded with the Federal Government to come to their aid.

In a letter to the President titled, ‘Matter of Urgency. Letter of Request to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari’ on Thursday, the students said cities occupied by Nigerians were under attack.

The letter read in part, “Greetings your Excellency. We are the executive body of National Association of Nigerian Students Ukraine (NANS-UKRAINE).

“We write to you with regards to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict which has finally risen to its maximum early this morning being February 24, 2022 as gunshots and explosives have raided the territories occupied by the Nigerian citizens.

“We plead with your Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, to please send for an immediate evacuation of the Nigerian students currently in Ukraine. We can only trust and wait on our great nation (Giant of Africa) in this perilous time.

“It would be of great honour, if our request is deliberately considered and met with urgency as it calls for. Forever this kind and fatherly gesture would be engraved in our hearts. Thank you so much in anticipation Mr President.”

Eleaka, who has found her way out of Ukraine, told The PUNCH that many other Nigerians were stuck because of the cost of the flight tickets.

She called on Nigeria to come up with a proper evacuation strategy like India.

Eleaka said, “I left before the invasion. The news on possible invasion has been out there for a while now. My parents got really worried and got me a flight ticket to return home.

“I’m sure most students really wanted to leave too, but the flight tickets got really expensive and the need to leave then seemed impromptu. I heard some cities still had their classes offline but we were ensuring every school goes online.

“But all the same, I feel the most cogent reason for everyone is the flight ticket price.”

Specifically, she said the Indian embassy has set up two different camps to evacuate Nigerians who are stranded in Ukraine.

Eunice said, “The Embassy of India in Poland has set up a camp office in Krakowiec on the Polish-Ukraine border. This office will facilitate transit via Poland back to India of Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine. They gave out telephone numbers of the officials in charge.”

Earlier, on Thursday, the Federal Government expressed shock over the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

The government also assured Nigerians living in Ukraine of their safety, stating that measures are underway to evacuate Nigerians living in the country.

In a statement by the Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Francisca Omayuli the Federal government said as soon as the airport it would assist Nigerians who are willing to leave to do so.

The statement was titled, ‘Federal government reassures its commitment to the safety of Nigerians in Ukraine’.

It read, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has received with surprise, reports of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been reassured by the Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine of the safety of Nigerians in that country and measures being undertaken to keep them safe and facilitate the evacuation of those who wish to leave.

“The Federal Government wishes to assure the families with loved ones in Ukraine that as soon as the airports in the country are opened, it would assist in facilitating the evacuation of Nigerians who are willing to leave.”

Although the Federal Government promised to evacuate the students once the airports re-open, it remains unclear how long the airports would remain closed.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in an interview with NTA, said the Nigerian embassy in Kiev had been contacted to finalise the arrangements for those willing to return to the country.

He said, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has arranged for a special flight operation to evacuate our citizens from Ukraine in view of the escalating tension between that country and Russia.

“The Nigerian embassy in Kiev has been contacted to arrange for those wishing to return home from other areas including Donestk and Luhensk.

“Nigerians are assured that the ministry is following the event in the country, we would do everything for the safety of Nigerians in Ukraine, particularly students.”

Akinterinwa slams FG

But a former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, wondered why the government had to wait so late to evacuate its citizens.

He added that the only option left was for Nigerians in the country to be evacuated by road.

Akinterinwa said, “It is unfortunate we have this type of government in Nigeria. The government of Nigeria, I have always argued, has a foreign policy that is unnecessarily reactive. Many countries have been evacuating their citizens before now.

“I was told that our ambassador there has taken measures and has advised Nigerians living there to stay indoors. Now by this time you are asking people to stay indoors? When the French government told its citizens to leave immediately, same with the US government?

“What have we been looking at? As it is now, nobody can influence the Ukrainian government or Russia at this time. The only thing is to advise if possible if they can travel by road.”

Students stranded

However, it was learnt that some students had begun making their way to the Poland with a view to getting a flight from there.

CNN reported on Thursday that while other governments are making plans to evacuate their citizens from Ukraine, Nigerian students said they had been essentially told: “You’re on your own.”

A student, Anjolaoluwa Ero-Phillips, said he and around 70 other Nigerian students are stranded with no way to legally leave Lviv in the west of the country, close to the border with Poland.

Lviv is around 300 miles from Ukraine capital Kyiv where explosions were heard in the early hours of Thursday after Russian forces entered the country.

“There have not been explosions here but earlier in the day we heard the siren tests. Flights are cancelled and it’s hard to get any taxis or Uber,” medical student Ero-Phillips said of the situation in Lviv.

“Everybody is at the ATM trying to withdraw cash but banks are not opening. Money is running out at the ATM and you can’t do app transactions anymore,” he added.

“Based on what I have heard from the Indian citizens, their government is trying to get free transit for them to the Polish border,” Ero-Phillips said.

“No one has any idea what to do. We have been reaching out to the Nigerian embassy since last month,” said Ero-Phillips, who is president of the Lviv arm of the Association of Nigerian students in Ukraine.

Students express fear

In separate interviews with The PUNCH, five students expressed fears over the rising tensions.

Stephen Oyebisi, who is a fifth-year medical student at the Ivano Frankivsk National Medical University, said in a WhatsApp chat on Thursday that although some of them were safe, there was apprehension in his region.

He said, “In some regions including the region where I am, missiles have been launched. I heard that the Nigerian government would send help to us for evacuation. The airport in my region was attacked. Many of us are scared and worried at the moment. ’’

Also, a part-three student of Computer Engineering at Ivano Frankivsk region, Amarachi Nwabia, told our correspondent that no one was safe at the moment.

She said, “No one is safe. Honestly, there is a lot of news going on. I am still in my city. There is a lot of confusion. I don’t really know what to do.’’

A female student who didn’t want her name in print side she was desirous of leaving but the Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine had left them to their fate.

She said, “The Boryspil international airport was bombed and it is 20 minutes drive from where I live. There’s no one that can tell what will happen next. If there’s an opportunity to leave right away, I won’t mind going back home. The only thing we got from what they sent to us is that we should take care of ourselves or more like we’re on our own.