Foreign
Ukraine war: Fleeing Nigerian student stuck in Germany as retail store worker
The 20-year-old was in his first year at the Karazin Kharkiv National University with a bright future ahead of him before Russia invaded Ukraine in February and disrupted his plans.
Okoro revealed this in an article ‘The Escape Diaries’ as published by Infomigrants on Sunday.
The Escape Diaries chronicles a series of personal experiences of African students who fled the war in Ukraine.
According to him, the passion to succeed through the exploits of education drove him to leave the shores of Nigeria to Europe in 2021 but hardly had he settled when the war began, an experience that has shattered him emotionally as he ran to Poland, and from there to where he is now in Germany.
He said, “I am Collins Okoro, a 20-year-old from Nigeria. I was a first-year student at the Karazin Kharkiv National University in Ukraine, studying international law.
“Education was very important growing up, with my parents encouraging us to complete our schooling. I have five siblings and my two older ones have completed their undergraduate degrees while one is pursuing a postgraduate degree.
“I was drawn into studying international law because I thought I would be able to handle the course work and I had friends also in the field. My studies were self-funded and to achieve this, I first attended a fashion school in Nigeria where I trained to be a stylist and designer.
“In December last year, I won two awards at the Gahaward fashion show in Lagos, Nigeria. My other passions are modeling and I have graced various runways.”
Okoro, in his account of fleeing Ukraine, did not hesitate to reveal the racial discrimination he and other Africans faced in the hands of Europeans as they escaped war.
“The thirst to be successful and make meaning of my life led me to head to Ukraine for an education in international law hoping it would be a great opportunity for my career.
“I arrived in December 2021 in Ukraine and was adjusting to being in a foreign country, understanding the language, meeting new people, and the freezing winter which was the complete opposite of the weather in Nigeria.
“But just two months later, the war happened and changed everything. At first, the people I met who had been living in Ukraine for many years did not think it was serious and that it would all get better. Russia had previously attacked before in February 2014, so this was not new to them.
“Everyone was still going about their usual routine, but once the bombing started, it all felt real. Kharkiv was one of the most hit places after Kyiv and a group of other students and I left at the end of February.
“We travelled as a group just to be safe and had to force our way on the train after they were prioritising Ukrainians to get on board. Once we got on, we realised that there was an empty carriageway and as other Ukrainians got on the train at different spots, they kept trying to harass us so we can get off.
“Eventually, we got to the edge of Ukraine and had to contemplate between going to Poland or Hungary. We then went to Hungary after finding out about the human rights violations happening at the Polish border. After that the group started getting smaller as some travelled to other Europeans countries where they had either friends or family. This led me to Berlin,” said Okoro.
Okoro is currently in Germany, facing language barriers despite a glimpse of hope in his academic career but deportation also looms, even as he works in a retail store.
He also noted that despite his unpalatable conditions, he does not see repatriation to Nigeria as an alternative succour.
Okoro added, “Arriving in Berlin from Kharkiv, a city in northeast Ukraine, was not easy. I now stay with volunteer hosts but have to move every two weeks since I do not have a permanent place. I have tried applying to universities in Berlin but the bureaucracy and language barrier makes it difficult to get opportunities.
“I attended an audition in Berlin in July, organized by a film school in the United States of America. I aced the audition and got accepted with a partial scholarship, but the tuition fees were incredibly high and I had to pass on the opportunity. Even most acting schools in Berlin are privatized, making it difficult to consider going there.
“There is so much that I want to accomplish in my life such as getting into an acting school, modelling, doing fashion, styling, and go back to university again for law. It might seem a lot but I like to keep busy and creative.
“But for now, I found a job at a retail store and I am also taking German classes to help me understand the language. The situation in Berlin is not ideal and there is a rumor that students will get deported back to their countries. But if going home was ideal, I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, as it staged a protest outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Durban on Monday.
The group marched through central Durban under the theme, “It’s time to fetch your people,” calling on African leaders attending the 46th SADC Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation.
March and March had earlier led nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher government action against undocumented immigration and warning that its campaign would continue until its demands were addressed.
Announcing its latest action, the group said the September 30 deadline would mark the beginning of what it described as the “mother of all protests”, while urging South Africans to assist the police in identifying undocumented foreigners.
The protest took place as the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government got underway in Durban, with leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states in attendance.
The demonstration has renewed debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, particularly citizens of other African countries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemned discrimination and violence against foreigners, saying South Africa could not advocate regional integration at the SADC summit while practising exclusion within the country.
The June 30 protests were accompanied by security operations and reports of attacks and looting in some areas, according to police reports cited in the original report.
March and March has continued to demand tougher action against undocumented immigration, while tensions over the treatment of foreign nationals have prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens from South Africa.
The latest protest has brought the immigration dispute directly to the doorstep of the SADC summit, placing the issue before regional leaders whose citizens are among those affected.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a US deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, while calling on Tehran to surrender.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, amid ongoing talks between Oman and Iran over future maritime navigation arrangements through the strategic waterway.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said, referring to the discussions between Oman and Iran as Washington pursues its own negotiations.
Iranian and Omani officials have been holding talks for weeks, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry saying Monday that both sides were working towards a joint declaration on the strait.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is under US control, despite Iran maintaining an effective blockade that has severely restricted maritime traffic.
On Friday, Trump said he could even declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, prompting Iran to insist that the strategic waterway “will remain Iranian.”
Trump also called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender,” according to Yingst.
The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran to the north and Oman to the south, was previously regarded as an open international waterway and carries a significant share of global energy shipments.
AFP
There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.
Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.
“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.
The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 after the United States, joined by Israel, attacked Iran. It was followed by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting, and a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
AFP
The family of Philip Ifeanyi Elobuike, an indigene of Eziama Village, Ebe, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, has appealed to the public for assistance in locating him after his photograph surfaced on social media following nearly two years without contact.
Elobuike first travelled to the United States around 2004 and initially settled in the Los Angeles area of California. He later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, before relocating to Dallas, Texas.
According to his family, Elobuike remained in contact with his relatives in Nigeria until around 2024, when communication with him suddenly stopped. Before losing contact, he was active on social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
His family had continued searching for him, and on August 11, 2026, they were relieved when his photograph surfaced on social media. The picture provided them with at least some reassurance that he was alive.
Elobuike Philip
However, contrary to reports circulating in some media outlets and on social media, Elobuike has not been reunited with his family or located by his kinsmen in the United States.
His relatives and members of the Nigerian community reportedly spent the entire day on August 12 searching for him in different parts of Dallas but were unable to locate him.
The family is therefore appealing to members of the public, particularly Nigerians and other individuals in the Dallas area, to assist in locating Elobuike and ensuring that he is safely reunited with his family.
The family also urged people to disregard reports claiming that he has already been found and reunited with his relatives, describing such reports as inaccurate.
Anyone who has information about Elobuike’s whereabouts or comes across him is urged to contact any of the following:
Dr. Fred Ngwu: (214) 418-8145
Moses Onyejekwe: (213) 479-2340
Law Okolo: (646) 302-2597
The family expressed appreciation to everyone who has shared his photograph and appealed for continued circulation of the information until he is successfully located.
No fewer than 205 Nigerians were deported from Canada in June 2026 as Canadian authorities intensified enforcement of the country’s immigration laws, according to official figures released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Immigration removal statistics published by the CBSA showed that 10,607 individuals were removed from Canada during the month, with Nigerians ranking among the top 10 nationalities affected by the exercise.
The figures indicate that Nigerians accounted for nearly two per cent of all removals carried out in June.
India recorded the highest number of deportations, with 3,323 nationals removed, followed by Mexico with 1,573. The United States accounted for 372 deportees, while Colombia and Romania recorded 354 and 293 removals respectively.
Other countries with significant numbers of nationals deported included Bangladesh, with 227, and Pakistan, with 207.
Explaining the rationale behind the removals, the CBSA said enforcing immigration laws was critical to protecting the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.
“Removing individuals who do not have the right to enter or stay in Canada is essential to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration program and to ensuring fairness for those who come to this country lawfully,” the agency stated.
The latest figures underscore Canada’s continued enforcement against individuals found to have no legal right to remain in the country, as authorities seek to ensure compliance with the nation’s immigration laws.
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