Nigeria issues warning over illegal recruitment of its citizens for Russia’s war in Ukraine

Nigeria warned its nationals against being recruited for armed conflicts abroad after reports that some were duped into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, as were citizens of other African countries.

The Nigerian foreign ministry in a statement dated Sunday expressed "grave concern over the rising and alarming cases of Nigerian citizens being illegally recruited to participate in foreign armed conflicts", without naming Russia.

A report published last week by the investigative collective All Eyes on Wagner said at least 36 Nigerians had been recruited by the Russian army to fight in Ukraine, five of whom were killed in combat.

"Several Nigerians who have fallen victim to such unfortunate situations were deployed to combat zones after being misled and coerced into signing military service contracts," the ministry statement said.

Last week, an AFP investigation gathered accounts from several Kenyans who fought in Ukraine after being promised well‑paid jobs in Russia by a local agency.

They travelled to Russia and were forced to sign contracts in Cyrillic that they could not understand before being deployed to the front.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said last week he had discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the return of South Africans lured into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine.

Testimonies have also emerged in Uganda, an ally of Russia that has so far avoided criticising Moscow.

Ukraine said in November it had identified at least 1,436 citizens from 36 African countries fighting for Russia.