Posted by Samuel on Mon 28th Feb, 2022 - tori.ng
A brother of the victim said his brother was trying to cross over into Poland with other African students but they were beaten and refused access by the border officers.
File photo
According to a report by SaharaReporters, a Nigerian student in Ukraine got a broken leg over the weekend after a series of beatings by patrol officers at the Ukraine-Poland border.
A brother of the victim told SaharaReporters that his brother was trying to cross over into Poland with other African students but they were beaten and refused access by the border officers.
According to him, the family last heard from the young man on Friday while he was stuck in traffic, heading to the Poland border and all efforts to reach him through Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp proved abortive.
However, the family received a message on Monday morning where the young man recounted his ordeal over the weekend.
The stranded Nigerian man informed his family that he had sustained injuries and also got a leg broken in the process. He also noted that he fainted but was rescued by the Ambulance services which took him to the hospital.
The young man said in a chat to his mother, “Mum, I fainted. These border guards beat us up. I broke my legs and was carried to the hospital. I think I lost my passport.”
The victim's brother told SaharaReporters, “My kid brother is schooling in Ukraine, we did video call Friday afternoon, he was in traffic on his way to Poland border. Since Friday evening we haven't heard from this, we've called him through Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat no response and this morning (Monday morning), we got a text to my mom's WhatsApp.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered what he said was a “special military operation” against Ukraine last Thursday. A full-scale invasion followed, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declaring martial law, saying his country would defend itself.
On Saturday, fighting reached the streets of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv as Russian troops pressed ahead.
According to the US military, Russia now has at least 50 per cent of its estimated 150,000-strong invasion forces in Ukraine.
The conflict has so far killed more than 200 civilians, including three children. Nearly 1,100 have been injured in the conflict, including 33 children, according to Ukraine’s health ministry.
The United Nations estimates more than 100,000 people have been displaced within the country since the conflict started.