UNILAG Confirms Safe Return of Exchange Students Stranded in China

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has confirmed that a group of its students who were stranded in China while returning from a one-year academic exchange programme are now travelling back to Nigeria after the institution intervened. The situation gained widespread attention on Monday after an X user, Turah BMG (@Osunwede), appealed for urgent assistance, claiming the students were unable to complete their journey home due to travel arrangement issues. According to posts shared on X, the students' return flight reportedly included a 27-hour stopover in Qatar. Since Qatar generally requires a visa for transit exceeding 24 hours, the travel plan allegedly prevented them from continuing their journey. Another social media user alleged that the students were left stranded in Shanghai and had to make additional travel arrangements to Beijing before they could secure flights back to Nigeria. The claims also suggested that the travel difficulties resulted from poor planning by those responsible for organising the trip, although these allegations have not been independently confirmed. As public concern grew, reports on X indicated that the university's Vice-Chancellor intervened by providing financial support for the students' immediate welfare while efforts were made to resolve the situation. In a statement posted on its official X account, UNILAG confirmed that the issue had been addressed, stating that the affected students had been cared for and were already on their way back to Nigeria. The university also expressed appreciation to members of the public who drew attention to the matter. Following the university's response, Turah BMG thanked the Vice-Chancellor and the institution for acting promptly but called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the incident. She further alleged that the lecturer overseeing the programme had threatened the students after the matter became public. As of the time of reporting, UNILAG has not publicly commented on the allegation against the lecturer or announced whether an internal investigation has been initiated