The federal government has failed to make public security measures for Nigerians in Ukraine in light of the imminent invasion of the country by Russia.

In a statement last week, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission led by Abike Dabiri-Erewa merely asked Nigerian nationals living in Ukraine to remain calm and be security conscious. 

However, there has been no updates as to what measures will be taken to protect the lives of Nigerians in Ukraine.

Several attempts by Peoples Gazette to reach foreign affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, to know the plans of the federal government in light of the event, proved abortive as he did not respond to calls and text messages.

In January, Nigerians currently studying in Ukrainian universities were pegged at 12,000 people by the country representative of Ukrainian universities in Nigeria, Cliff Ogbeide.

The Nigeria Embassy in Ukraine released emergency contacts for Nigerian nationals living in the European country for matters relating to consular and welfare requests as well as other inquiries. In the travel advisory, the embassy urged Nigerians to be cautious in their travels within the country. 

These developments come amid military tension between Russia and Ukraine.

At the time of filing this story, multiple reports including satellite imagery reveal deployments of troops and military equipment in three areas surrounding Ukraine: Crimea in the south, around the Russian training camp of Kursk near eastern Ukraine, and in Belarus to Ukraine’s north. 

Though United States President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to speak on Saturday, Western nations have warned that Moscow could invade its neighbour at any moment.

On Friday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan suggested that the threat of such an incursion is “now immediate enough”, warning Americans still in Ukraine to leave within the next 24 to 48 hours.

The U.S. on Saturday ordered the evacuation of most of its embassy staff in Kyiv amid fears a Russian invasion of Ukraine was increasingly imminent.

The Biden administration believes there is a “distinct possibility” Russia could invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics on February 20, although it is unclear at this time if Mr Putin has made a final decision yet.

The United Kingdom, through its junior defence minister James Heappey, urged British nationals to “leave Ukraine immediately by any means possible.”

British nationals who decided to remain in Ukraine were told not to expect military evacuation in the event of conflict with Russia. 

This also applies to the Netherlands and its nationals, who have been urged by the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry to leave while commercial flights are available, and not to return until the situation improves.

The Netherlands will not evacuate people from Ukraine if the conflict with Russia escalates there, said Ambassador Jennes de Mol during an online meeting with Dutch people present in the country. 

Israel had announced that it would be evacuating relatives of staff at its embassy in Kyiv, citing “an aggravation of the situation” in the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia. 

The European Union also notified non-essential staff from its diplomatic mission in Ukraine that they should leave the country, but a spokesperson noted that an official evacuation order has not been issued.