More than 400 Nigerians who fled Ukraine return home

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The evacuation brings to more than 1,300 the number of Nigerian citizens brought home from Ukraine since the Russian invasion

Abuja. Some 300 Nigerians who were in northeastern Ukraine have now returned home, the government said at the weekend.

The evacuation brings to more than 1,300 the number of Nigerian citizens brought home from Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

The 301-strong group of mostly students were in Sumy, a city 350 kilometres (218 miles) east of Kyiv which has experienced days of heavy fighting.

They were among thousands of people evacuated this week to neighbouring countries, from where they were able to fly out.

EVACUATION OF NIGERIANS IN UKRAINE THROUGH HUNGARY

The Director (CLD) of MFA, Amb. Bolaji Akinremi and officials of relevant MDAs received 301 Returnees from Hungary, aboard Azman Airline flight, which landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe Intl. Airport, Abuja today, 12th March, 2022. pic.twitter.com/JArbDfcpGR
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria 🇳🇬 (@NigeriaMFA) March 12, 2022

"Evacuated today to Nigeria, from Budapest, 300 mostly Sumy-based Nigerian students. Thanks be to God!" Nigeria's Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said in a tweet late on Saturday.

The ministry confirmed it had received "301 returnees from Hungary" at the capital Abuja's airport.

The government of Africa's most populous nation estimates there were about 8,000 Nigerian citizens, including 5,600 students, in Ukraine before the war.

More than 2.6 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion two weeks ago, according to the United Nations, in what it says is Europe's fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.