Nigerian Student Facing Life Imprisonment In Ukraine Released

Olaolu Femi

On Nov. 5, 2011, Olaolu Femi, a Nigerian student in Ukraine, and one of his friends were physically attacked in front of his apartment by four Ukrainian young men and two women who pulled them to the ground while hurling racist slurs on them.

According to eye witness account, Sunkanmi was said to have managed to get up and defended himself against the assailants with a glass from a broken bottle.

It was while he was defending himself that police arrived at the scene and Femi was subsequently arrested.
He was detained the next day, and his alleged attempt to defend himself and a friend was interpreted by the Ukrainian prosecutors as attempted murder, for which he faced a minimum of 10-15 years and up to life in jail.
But today, Olaolu Femi was finally released.