Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed displeasure at reported incidents of the mistreatment of some Nigerian nationals attempting to flee Ukraine.
A total of 4,000 Nigerian citizens are still stranded in Ukraine.
In a statement on Twitter, the president’s office said Ukrainian police and security personnel had reportedly refused to allow Nigerians to board buses and trains heading towards the Ukraine-Poland border.
“One group of Nigerian students having been repeatedly refused entry into Poland have concluded they have no choice but to travel again across Ukraine and attempt to exit the country via the border with Hungary,” the statement said.
Mr Buhari’s office said all foreign nationals trying to cross over to Poland should be “treated with dignity and without favour”.
“All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under UN Convention and the colour of their passport or their skin should make no difference,” the statement said.
Students evacuated to Romania
The Nigerian ambassador to Romania told the BBC that so far about 200 Nigerians – many of them students – have arrived in the capital Bucharest from Ukraine.
Safiya Nuhu said the group had been “well-received”, and were staying in hotels after fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The envoy said many more were arriving.
Nigeria’s ministry of foreign affairs had advised Nigerians leaving Ukraine to try to cross through the Hungarian and Romanian borders following difficulties at the Poland border.
A number of Africans have complained of racism at the Ukraine-Poland border.
Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister Geofrey Onyeama said he had spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba about the issue and he was assured that Ukrainian border guards had been given orders to allow all foreigners leaving Ukraine to pass without restrictions.
