Officials of the Nigerian Embassy said they have received 130 Nigerians safely at Bucharest, Romania where they have been provided accommodation and would be documented.
Ministry of External Affairs added that “Officials at Budapest, Hungary have received and accommodated 74 Nigerians safely, “We expect another batch of about 200 into the city of Budapest, tomorrow.”
The ministry stated that in Warsaw, Poland, they have received 52 Nigerians and 23 Nigerians are being processed at the Polish Government Reception Point, and at Hala Kijowska, Milny 90, 37-552 Milny, which they say is near the border of Korczowa-Krakowiec.
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“The camp is well organised with beds and beddings, food, heating, clothing and medicals for evacuees,” it added.
The ministry assured Nigerians that all arrangements are being put in place to effectively evacuate Nigerian citizens, in safety and dignity.
Meanwhile, thousands of fleeing Africans, especially students, Sunday, lamented alleged maltreatment and passport seizure by Ukrainians at the borders.
They accused officials of racial discrimination in Ukraine, alleging that they were not allowed to cross the borders.
The Nation reports the Federal Government had directed Nigerians fleeing Ukraine to four Polish borders for their safety.
The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in a viral video on Saturday, had said out of the eight borders between Poland and Ukraine, four had been recommended for Nigerians to use.
Ukraine is home to thousands of African students who study Medicine, Engineering, and other technical fields.
Checks by Straightnews show Morocco, Nigeria and Egypt are in the top 10 countries with students in Ukraine.
The students took to social media platforms especially Twitter to detail their painful experiences, ranging from trekking long distances and surviving the cold, to experiencing racism in the face of danger.
The alleged ill-treatment is amid suggestion of Hungary, Budapest and Slovakia borders as alternatives for Africans fleeing Ukraine.
The Russian military launched an offensive against Ukraine last Thursday.
A stranded Nigerian student @nzekiev tweeted: “Been at the Poland-Ukraine border for the past 5 hours & they’re segregating.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government Monday called on Ukrainian border officials and those in neighbouring countries to treat its citizens equally after reports that Africans were being discriminated against while trying to flee from the Russian invasion.
Nigerians, Ghanaians, Somalis and other Africans studying in Ukraine have been trying to escape across the borders along with hundreds and thousands of people since Russia launched an offensive last week.
“There have been unfortunate reports of Ukrainian police and security personnel refusing to allow Nigerians to board buses and trains heading towards the Ukraine-Poland border,” said presidential advisor Garba Shehu in a statement.
“In one video widely circulating on social media, a Nigerian mother with her young baby was filmed being physically forced to give up her seat to another person,” he said.
Calling the reports that Africans were being discriminated against “disappointing”, Crisis Group Senior Analyst Arrey E. Ntui went on social media to denounce the violations of human rights of Africans on the ground in Ukraine.
“Africa’s three members in UNSC (UN Security Council) must bear this in mind and defend all human rights,” he added.
Shehu added that there are separate reports of Polish officials refusing Nigerian citizens entry into Poland from Ukraine, while he recognized the constraints of such a situation, he also asked for equal treatment.
“For that reason, it is paramount that everyone is treated with dignity and without favour,” added Shehu.
Poland’s ambassador to Nigeria Joanna Tarnawska maintained that this was not the case.
“Everybody receives equal treatment. I can assure you that I have reports that already some Nigerian nationals have crossed the border into Poland,” she told local media.
Tarnawska said Nigerians, like other non-European citizens, had 15 days to leave the country or find other arrangements, adding that even expired documents were being accepted to cross the border and Covid-19 restrictions had been lifted.
One African student who identified herself as Guinean-Sierra Leonean said on social media she had finally made it across the border on Monday, but in previous tweets, she said she didn’t even have her tablet, an extra pair of jeans, or any of her schoolbooks.
On Friday, the Somali government issued a statement to all Somali nationals in Ukraine to urgently contact the Berlin and Brussels embassies for evacuation assistance.
Ghana also issued a statement on Friday, saying that their nationals have been identified and contacted. The airspace has been shut, but they called on all Ghanaians to evacuate by land through Moldova, Belarus, Slovakia, or Hungary, saying in a statement that talks with various countries to deal with their nationals is “far advanced.”
“The government has put in place the necessary package to facilitate the transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical support, etc., to ease the burden on our compatriots,” according to a statement published by Ghana’s foreign ministry on Friday.
Senegal’s ambassador to Ukraine and Poland Papa Diop said that special arrangements had been made to help the 70 nationals residing in Ukraine to cross over into Poland. He said that long queues had formed and that conditions were difficult.
The European Union stepped in on Sunday moved to coordinate hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian attack.
Agence France Presse newswire estimates that some 400,000 Ukrainians have entered the EU since the beginning of the Russian offensive on Thursday, with the Polish government saying that half of those fleeing have entered Poland.
