…Nigeria Ranks Fifth In Africa As Foreign Recruitment Raises Fresh Concerns
…Former Naval Officer Among Nigerians Reported Dead
…Recruits Allegedly Lured With Security Jobs, Deployed With Little Training
Daud Olatunji
At least 215 Nigerians have reportedly been recruited into the Russian armed forces to fight against Ukraine, with no fewer than 25 confirmed dead or missing, according to a Ukrainian government-linked agency monitoring the recruitment of foreign nationals for the war.
The figures place Nigeria fifth among African countries whose citizens have reportedly been recruited to fight for Russia, behind Cameroon, Ghana, Egypt and Kenya, according to StopRussianRecruiters.org, an initiative partly run by Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The agency said its figures were compiled from reports published by local media, raising fresh concerns over the circumstances under which Nigerians are allegedly recruited and deployed to the battlefields of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The development comes amid reports of Nigerians killed while fighting on the Russian side, including a former Nigerian naval officer, Ayebusiwa Olabode Victor, whose death was confirmed by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence in May.
Victor, 34, reportedly signed a military contract with Russia in February, barely a week after Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over the recruitment of Nigerians into the Russian armed forces.
His case has further drawn attention to the reported involvement of Nigerian citizens in a foreign conflict, particularly amid allegations that some recruits are deceived about the nature of the jobs they are accepting.
The latest report also follows an announcement by Ukrainian authorities that two other Nigerians, Hamzat Kolawole and Mbah Udoka, were killed while fighting for Russia.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, the bodies of the two men were recovered in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.
The authorities said the Nigerians were killed in a drone strike in late November while attempting to raid Ukrainian positions in the region.
They also alleged that both men had not received adequate military training before being deployed to the frontlines.
However, the circumstances surrounding their recruitment, military deployment and deaths could not be independently established from the information contained in the report.
StopRussianRecruiters.org alleged that some Africans are attracted to Russia by promises of security-related employment but subsequently find themselves deployed to active combat zones with minimal training.
The reported recruitment pattern has raised concerns about the vulnerability of foreign job seekers to misleading employment offers and the potential risks of becoming involved in an armed conflict abroad.
In its ranking of African countries affected by the reported recruitment, the agency placed Cameroon first, followed by Ghana and Egypt in second and third positions, respectively. Kenya ranked fourth, while Nigeria occupied fifth place.
Russia has denied knowledge of facilitating the recruitment of Africans to fight in the war against Ukraine.
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