Nigerian Allegedly Tricked into Russian Military Service Appeals for Repatriation

A Nigerian citizen, Abubakar Adamu, has appealed to the Federal Government for urgent repatriation from Russia after he was allegedly deceived into joining the country’s military.

According to his legal representatives, Adamu was promised a civilian security guard job but had his travel documents confiscated upon arrival and was compelled to sign enlistment papers written in Russian without the assistance of an interpreter. They argued that he did not understand the contents of the contract because of the language barrier and are relying on legal principles including non est factum and claims of fundamental misrepresentation.

His lawyers are demanding that Russian authorities halt any deployment, return his seized documents, and facilitate his immediate return to Nigeria.

The case comes amid growing reports that some African nationals have been recruited into Russia’s military under false pretences, often with promises of high pay and citizenship benefits. Some recruits, according to accounts cited by his representatives, are reportedly sent to combat zones with minimal training and subjected to coercion and racial abuse.

Meanwhile, officials from Ukraine have disclosed that more than 1,400 Africans from 36 countries are currently fighting for Russia, with several captured as prisoners of war.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to publicly respond to Adamu’s appeal, a development that has triggered calls from concerned observers for swift diplomatic intervention.

However, the Embassy of Russia in Nigeria has denied allegations of state-sponsored recruitment, insisting that any such activities are carried out by illegal organizations and not the Russian government.