A Nigerian student Huzaifa Habibu that fled the war Ukraine has died two weeks after returning to Nigeria.

Habibu’s father Habibu Halilu Modaci told BBC that his son died after complaining of discomfort and loss of appetite. He was due to graduate in 2023.

“Alhamdu Lilah, God gives and take away life, and that’s how he wanted it to happen, there is no doubt about it,” Modaci said.

“Had it been he died in Ukraine so many things would be said about him, that he was either killed by the Russian bombardment or had an accident or even accidentally shot and killed by the Ukrainian Army.”

Habibu was studying medicine in Ukraine before Russian forces invaded the European country in February.

Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister Geoffrey Onyeama said there were about 5,600 Nigerian students in Ukraine and an estimated 8,000 Nigerian citizens in the country before the war.

The Nigerian government said it has evacuated more than 1000 students from Ukraine.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 3,489,644 Ukrainians had fled the country since Russia invaded on February 24 — a figure up 100,600 on Sunday’s update.

“Over the last four weeks, the world has watched in disbelief. Countless lives have been lost while millions of others have been completely upended,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said.

“As if to counter the despair, we have also witnessed overwhelming acts of welcome and compassion as neighbouring countries, particularly local responders, have opened their hearts and homes to Ukrainians.

“Millions around the world were rightly moved by the extreme plight of the Ukrainian people,” he said, citing their “pain and sorrow… loss and anguish”, and “relief at finding safety and trepidation of an uncertain future.”
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