Poland has denied that its nationals who had been arrested by safety operatives in Kano, Nigeria, waved the Russian flag.
The detained Poles had been arrested on August 6 in Kano for allegedly displaying Russian flags through the #EndBadGovernance protest held by some Nigerians towards financial hardship within the nation. Also arrested had been six Spanish nationals.
The spokesperson for the Department of State Services, Peter Afunanya, at a gathering of diplomats in Abuja, mentioned the Poles had been arrested “because of where they were found during the protests and for displaying foreign flags.”
However, the Polish overseas ministry denied the allegation.
The ministry, in response to a Polish worldwide information community, TVP World, mentioned the six college students and their lecturer didn’t take part within the protest however “merely took photos.”
Sunday PUNCH gathered that the scholars and their lecturer had been on an trade programme on the Bayero University, Kano.
The Poles had been mentioned to be college students of African Studies on the Oriental Studies Faculty, University of Warsaw.
They left Poland for Nigeria on August 1 and had been scheduled to return to their nation early September.
The University of Warsaw Press Officer, Anna Modzelewska, mentioned getting the scholars launched was the highest precedence of the establishment.
Modzelewska was quoted by TVP World as saying, “Freeing the UW [University of Warsaw] students is our priority. “We must do everything in our power for that to happen as quickly as possible.”
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She added that info was being gathered on the costs towards the Poles, disclosing that the University’s Rector, Alojzy Nowak, was in touch with the detainees.
The Polish authorities, by way of its Deputy Foreign Minister, Jakub Wisniewski, had on Friday pleaded with Nigeria to launch the detainees.
On in the event that they waved the Russian flag, he mentioned, “I personally find this claim hard to believe. We are urging for their safe return home, where their loved ones are anxiously waiting for them.”
Efforts by our correspondents to talk with the Student Affairs and Quality of Teaching of the college, Professor Sławomir Żółtek, proved abortive. Calls put throughout to his cellphone quantity weren’t answered.
A former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Professor Bola Akinterinwa, requested the Polish authorities to be affected person.
He mentioned, “The Polish government has to be patient and allow the investigation to be completed. The fact is that the security forces did not go to the school to arrest the students; they were picked up along the street during the protest and it is in the right place for the Nigerian government to investigate. It is only after investigation and they (Polish government) feel that the students didn’t get justice that they can intervene. Will they release the foreign students and not release Nigerians arrested?”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Poland, Omooba Ayoola, has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to launch the six college students and their lecturer.
Ayoola, who relies in Warsaw, begged Tinubu to make use of his good workplaces to facilitate the discharge of the scholars and their lecturer within the spirit of deepening bilateral cooperation between the 2 international locations.
In an announcement on Saturday, Ayoola mentioned, ‘’It is regretted that the Polish nationals had been discovered on the unsuitable place and on the unsuitable time.
“However, these college students are mentioned to be within the nation for tutorial trade programmes and we should always information towards what can hinder deeper educational cooperation in between the 2 international locations.
“I, therefore, plead that in the spirit of deeper bilateral cooperation, President Tinubu should please passionately look into this disturbing issue and help these students to regain their freedom so that they can focus on their primary purpose of coming to Nigeria”.