Families of Polish students detained in Nigeria meet ministry officials
Family members of the African studies students from the University of Warsaw (UW) who were recently detained in Nigeria, attended a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
The individuals detained were six Polish students accompanied by their lecturer, who had planned to spend the entire month of August at Bayero University in Kano. They inadvertently became involved in the anti-government protests that are currently unfolding in the nation.
Reuters had reported on Wednesday that Nigerian services have arrested seven Poles for raising Russian flags during recent anti-government protests in the state of Kano, in the north of the country.
Later on that day, a Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna told PAP that, according to his knowledge, the situation was entirely different than it was initially thought.
"This is a group of African studies students who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time," Szejna said, adding that "they were carrying no flags but it seems that they were taking photos and this had been interpreted in this way."
At 10am on Friday, a meeting was held at the Polish foreign ministry with the families of the detained students.
Prior to that, a Nigerian chargé d'affaires in Poland participated in a meeting at the ministry to address the issue.
Following these consultations, Deputy Foreign Minister Jakub Wisniewski held a press conference during which he updated the public on the measures undertaken by the consular services to secure the release of the students and their chaperone.
Wisniewski said during the briefing that the Polish side has taken appropriate action to determine the circumstances of the arrest as well as the whereabouts of the Poles, who were allegedly detained for breaking the law.
The deputy foreign minister said that Nigeria was currently experiencing certain restrictions regarding the violent uprisings taking place nationwide, which are driven by the declining economic conditions.
"There is a curfew, there is a ban on on taking photographs, on holding demonstrations," he said.
He stated that the students were intended to be accommodated in a hotel located in the centre of Kano before being transported to Abuja, which houses both a Polish embassy and a consulate.
Wisniewski reported that during the meeting with the Nigerian charge d’affaires in Poland, it was noted that certain sources indicated the students had participated in the demonstration while displaying Russian flags. He responded to this assertion by stating, "I, personally, do not subscribe to that belief. During the meeting, I mentioned that the students' actions might have stemmed from their unfamiliarity with the local customs, culture, and the laws."
He added: "I appealed for them to be allowed to return to Poland and to their homes, where they are awaited by their families."
In addition, it was announced that at 1pm on Friday the Polish consul in Nigeria was to meet with the detained Polish citizens.
He said: "The consular service will continue to work throughout the entire weekend to resolve this issue and bring about a positive outcome."
At the same time, he called on Poles not to plan visits to Nigeria in the near future.
"Since August 2, we have been maintaining the stance that travels to Nigeria are discouraged... with specific information on which regions are more dangerous." (PAP)
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