As countries around the world scramble to evacuate their nationals amidst looming battle between Russia and Ukraine, the Buhari regime has expressed skepticism about the potential for war, telling Nigerians in Ukraine to remain behind and secure themselves until evacuation becomes necessary.

Foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama said Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there won’t be war, despite amassing hundreds of thousands of troops, military equipment and medical aid at the border with Ukraine. Mr Putin has also deployed Russian trips into Ukraine territories and Russian helicopters reportedly attacked a Ukrainian military base near the capital Kyiv.

“The advice we were getting was that Nigerians in Ukraine should not panic,” Mr Onyeama said on NTA Thursday afternoon. “The embassy was in touch with them, telling them to take reasonable precautions, which has been ongoing for a while.”

“The Russian government itself was saying they will not invade,” the minister added. He also said Nigerians willing to return home will be evacuated once the Ukrainian airspace reopens for civil aviation activities. There are suggestions that Nigerians could cross the border into Poland for onward return to their country. But the government did not immediately indicate that such plans were being considered as of Thursday afternoon.

Russia launched a military operation against Ukraine on Thursday, drawing worldwide uproar as countries fear the move could trigger another global war. Mr Putin said he took the decision after Ukraine showed interest in aligning with the West and might soon become a NATO member.

Some foreign nationals including Nigerians are evacuatingthe country’s capital after the military invasion from Russia.

In a press statement released by the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission on Thursday, the embassy advised Nigerian nationals to remain vigilant and alert.

Federal lawmakers on Thursday implored Air Peace to assist the government to evacuate Nigerians from Ukraine by February 28. In 2019, the airline helped airlift thousands of Nigerians back home following a xenophobic crisis in South Africa.