Nigerian Students in Russia in Danger of Deportation due to Passport Renewal Failure by NIS

Numerous Nigerian students in Russia, including those from Niger State, are on the brink of deportation due to their inability to renew their international passports as of August 21, 2024.

This predicament stems from a purported lack of materials for printing new passports at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) office in Russia.

The affected students, whose green cards are nearing expiration, have expressed their distress over the situation, with many reaching out to their parents for assistance.

Yakubu Tauheed Bina, a concerned parent, highlighted the financial burden this issue imposes, stating that it would cost over N5 million for his son to return to Nigeria and renew his documents.

He criticized the Nigerian Embassy in Russia for not addressing the problem effectively and questioned whether the federal government is adequately funding the embassy.

The students' plight has garnered massive attention, with calls for both federal and state governments to intervene. The urgency of the situation is signified by the potential embarrassment and disruption that deportation could cause for these students, who are in the midst of their academic pursuits.

There have been allegations that Nigerian students in Russia were being coerced into joining the military to fight in Ukraine. However, both the Russian Embassy in Nigeria and the Nigerian government have firmly denied these claims.

The Russian Embassy emphasized that such reports are false and detrimental to Russian-Nigerian educational cooperation, while the Nigerian Foreign Ministry also debunked the allegations, reinforcing the strong diplomatic ties between the two nations.