Thirteen Nigerians who were detained in Poland after they fled the war in Ukraine have been released, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) said Wednesday.
According to NiDCOM, the Nigerians were held in various camps in Poland.
In a statement shared on its Twitter account, NiDCOM said the 13 were among 19 Nigerians detained in the European country. They were released after the intervention of the Nigerian ambassador to Poland, Christian Ugwu, the agency said.
The agency quoted Ugwu as saying, “Unfortunately, the remaining five applied for international protection (asylum) in Poland, including Igwe Ikechukwu Christian, who had been interviewed by some foreign media.”
The last person claimed to be Cameroonian because the mother is from Cameroon, the official said.
“They cannot be released until the Polish government makes a decision on their application or they decide to withdraw the application,” he added.
According to the statement, Mr. Ugwu assured Nigerians that the mission will continue to do everything possible to ensure that the interests of Nigerians are well served.
Nigerians seeking refuge in Poland had been informed about the possible consequences of remaining as undocumented immigrants in the country, NiDCOM wrote.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in March, received about five batches of Nigerians fleeing the war in Ukraine.
However, some of the Nigerians chose to stay behind and were held in detention centers in Poland.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, President of NIDCOM, praised the successful intervention of the Nigerian mission in Poland. He encouraged Nigerians to obey the laws of the countries where they reside.