Hundreds of Nigerians return home from war-torn Ukraine

A batch of 174 Nigerians who fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion landed home late on Friday, bringing the total number of citizens evacuated to almost 600.

Earlier Friday, a group of 415 people, most of whom were students, arrived from Romania's capital Bucharest, one of the hubs from where African governments are scrambling to extract stranded citizens.

"The second batch of Nigerians (174) have arrived (in) Abuja from Poland," Nigerian airline Air Peace tweeted, bringing the total number to 589.

After landing in the capital Abuja, many among the first group to arrive looked tired but relieved that their ordeal was over.

"I'm very happy to be back home, thank you, Nigeria!" one young woman said as she walked off the tarmac and into the terminal.

Last week, the African Union had expressed concern over reports that Africans in Ukraine are being prevented from safely crossing the border to flee the war with Russia.

Senegal’s President Macky Sall and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a joint statement on Monday last week that they were particularly disturbed by the reports.

“Reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment would be shockingly racist and in breach (of) international law,” the statement said.