Poland has released 13 out of 19 Nigerians who fled the Ukrainian war and were detained in their various camps.
Five of the detainees were said to have applied for asylum in Poland.
The Nigerians were reportedly released following the intervention of the Nigerian Ambassador to Poland, Major General Christian Ugwu (retd.).
A statement on Wednesday by the spokesman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abdul-Rahman Balogun, quoted Ugwu to have said that one of the six in detention claimed he is a Cameroonian because the mother is from Cameroon.
The statement read in part, “Unfortunately, the remaining five applied for international protection (asylum) in Poland, including Igwe Christian, who was interviewed by some foreign media.
“They cannot be released until the government of Poland takes a decision on their application, or they decide to withdraw the application.”
He assured all that the Commission would continue to do its best to ensure that the interests of Nigerians are well taken care of despite being adequately briefed on the likely consequences of remaining as undocumented immigrants in Poland.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had in March approved the evacuation of Nigerians, mostly students trapped in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
The directive was carried out by the inter-ministerial agencies coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and over 1,600 Nigerians were brought back home.
However, some Nigerians chose to remain and were clamped in detention centres in Poland.
Speaking on the development, the NIDCOM Chairman, Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, commended the successful intervention of the Nigerian mission in Poland, and reiterated the call for Nigerians to obey the laws of the countries they reside in.
