A group of Poles was warmly welcomed at Chopin Airport in Warsaw on Monday by family and friends after returning from Nigeria, where they had been held under restricted and monitored contact by African authorities for a month.
"Polish authorities involved in negotiations with the Nigerian government consistently argued that the students were in Nigeria as part of an academic exchange and had inadvertently found themselves in the wrong place," explained Robert Grey, chancellor of the University of Warsaw, in an interview with the Polish state news agency PAP.
He described the success of arranging for the group to stay together under house arrest in a hotel as "one of the better diplomatic actions," which positively impacted their mental well-being. The students were well treated, and the several-week detention period passed peacefully.
Warsaw, September 2, 2024. Reunion with the families of the Nigerian detaines upon their arrival at Chopin Airport in Poland (PAP/Piotr Nowak)
Polish students released, return postponed due to malaria recovery
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the decision to release the group on Wednesday, with court confirmation of the dismissal of charges received on Friday.
Their return to Poland was dependent on the recovery of two individuals suffering from malaria and the completion of legal formalities.
Alojzy Nowak, the rector of the University of Warsaw, thanked the Polish media via social media for "providing the public with prudent and responsible information." He also expressed respect towards the authorities of Bayero University in Nigeria, where the students had gone for a language course.
UW to review foreign trip policies and provide support for released students
The Polish university plans to review the procedures for trips to non-European countries and agreements related to similar international programs in African Studies.
The University of Warsaw will also cover all expenses related to the students' stay in Africa and provide them with psychological support upon their return to Poland, as well as academic assistance in adapting to studies after the challenging experiences of their summer trip.
John Abraham Godson, the first black member of Poland's parliament, also commented on the release of the Polish students. "I wish to confirm that Polish students who were arrested by security operatives in Nigeria have been freed. I wish to thank MSZ and especially the consul in Abuja for his care and interventions," the Nigerian-born politician wrote on X.com.
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Source: IAR/PAP/UW/X/MSZ
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