Nigerian Students in Ukraine Cry for Help, Demand Safe Exit from War-Torn Country

Students of Sumy State University in Ukraine have cried out against the ill-treatment being meted to them in the European country, demanding that the authorities should provide a safe exit route for them to leave the country.

The distraught students were seen in a video protesting against the refusal of the university to allow them leave the war zone, despite the growing apprehension over likely attacks on the institution.

Several of the students who spoke, said they now live in constant fear as they continue to hear the sound of bombs near the institution, as the Russian forces continue to advance.

The students, mostly young boys and girls chanted solidarity songs: “Let us go home, we want to go home”, during the protest that has now gone viral online.
They alleged that they had not taken their bath in days, begging the Nigerian government to liaise with the Ukrainian authorities to allow them a safeway to return to their home country.

For close to two weeks Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in an armed conflict, trapping many Nigerian students in the crisis-ridden zone.
“We have nothing to do with this war. Early this morning, we were woken up with several bombs. We have told them we want to go home. First, they have increased the price of taxi to N1 million for a two-hour journey which is like from Abuja to Kaduna.

“That is not all. We have told them we are ready to pay. Now , they have locked us in this hostel. What did we do wrong. We just came here to study medicine. We have not showered in three days. There’s no light in the hostel, everything is running out. This place is not safe.

“Some of us are experiencing mental trauma. We can’t even hear a door open without many of us running. This is not fair on us. We want to go home , we are in pains. Many of us, after this may not be able to live normally,” a female student was heard saying.

Another female student who spoke during the peaceful protest within the school premises, corroborated the story that the school was not allowing them leave the premises.

“ The school has refused to provide us with transportation to leave this place. We do not care about the amount. Now, we hear that they have blocked the route. We are not going to be used as baits,” she lamented.

Another one said she was in the kitchen trying to prepare food when a bomb exploded and shook the whole area, leaving her scampering for safety.
“We are calling on everybody to help us. We are stranded. We are appealing to everyone to help us,” she noted.

A male student who also spoke , urged the authorities to create a “humanitarian corridor” for them to exit the place and move to Nigeria.
The students explained that it was lie that many of them do not want to return to Nigeria, saying that they are stuck in Sumy without light, water and food.
“This is not our war. Any single extra second we spend here, is a danger to all of us,” they noted, adding that there are still over 1,000 students stranded in the area.

Also, a few Ghanaian and South African young people among them called on the authorities to come to their rescue, saying they could no longer bear the pain.
But the Nigerian government has recently said that it is continuing to evacuate its nationals from the war zone, with over four batches rescued from the country. President Muhammadu Buhari had also approved $8.5 million for the operation.

Meanwhile, an Arise News Correspondent has arrived Ukraine for on-the-spot coverage of the situation in the country.

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