Medical student trapped in Ukraine dies two weeks after returning to Nigeria

A final year medical student of Zaporozhye State Medical University, Ukraine, Huzaifa Modachi, has died two weeks after their evacuation from the war-torn country.

Mr Modachi died last Friday in a Sokoto hospital.

Russian forces have been attacking Ukraine since February.

Nigerian students trapped in the country are being evacuated after calling for help following the invasion.

The Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has also met representatives of parents if students from the state studying in Ukraine during the first week of the invasion.

Later, Sokoto State students were evacuated from the war-torn country.

How Huzaifa died

Huzaifa’s father, Habibu Modachi, a lawmaker representing Isa local government area at the Sokoto House of Assembly, told BBC Hausa as monitored by PREMIUM TIMES that his son was in “good health when he returned to Nigeria among other students.”

He said that when his son returned, he did not show signs of sickness but later began to show some signs of weakness and lack of appetite, after which he was taken to the hospital.

The senior Mr Modachi did not, however, say what sickness his son was diagnosed with.

“When he returned, we were happy because of the situation in Ukraine. He was in sound health for the whole days. He later began to become weak and he was at the hospital for only one day before he died. The doctors have not even informed me what his sickness was,” he said.

The lawmaker said the family has accepted the death of their son as “a will of God”.

“As I told you, he only complained of lack of appetite so I decided to take him to the hospital and he was examined and drugs given to him but he died in the night.”

My discussion with him

Mr Modachi said his son told him a lot of things about his experience in Ukraine.

“I was the one that took him from the airport when they were evacuated. I took him home and he was in a good mood as we were discussing and laughing. He told me of his experiences in Ukraine before and after the invasion began. Like many other students and people living there, Huzaifa told me they were in constant fear of the unknown during the invasion before they decided to leave the country,” he said.

He added that his son told him they trekked for three days before they reached the Hungary boundary to escape the attack.

“While they were in Hungary, Sokoto State government and the Embassy made arrangements and evacuated them back to Nigeria. Of course, he told me he showed (pictures) me some of the shellings thrown by the Russian soldiers and people trekking to the borders,” he said.

Mr Modachi said his son spent three years in Ukraine studying before his return.

“All those years, he spent them there without coming back home. He was an excellent student and was in his final year. I am happy for him. We have to thank God that Huzaifa returned home before his death and we saw him because if he had died in Ukraine, we would have been in great discomposure. He ran away from death but met it here. God gives and takes. It is from God and nothing more; we thank him for giving us Huzaifa,” he said.