The West African country’s foreign ministry recently warned its citizens against the illegal military recruitment scheme currently targeting foreigners, especially Africans in Russia and Ukraine.
“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,” foreign ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
Responding to journalists’ questions at a press briefing in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on the 10th of February, 2026, the Russian Ambassador, Andrey Podyelyshev, acknowledged the possibility of illegal actors operating independently but stressed they had no official backing.
Nigeria has now decided to raise more awareness on the issue, after Ukrainian officials reported they recovered the corpses of two Nigerians who they said were killed in the conflict last year.
Despite the fact that Nigeria has not yet confirmed the credibility of the report, the West African country still decided to issue a warning, especially considering how sensitive the subject has been on social media in the last few weeks.
“Even during the Yugoslavia issues many years ago, we had that problem, and it is sad that our youth are falling into these traps and losing their lives to a war that means nothing to them,” Ebienfa stated.
As seen on the BBC, the Nigerian government said it was collaborating with both domestic and foreign partners to investigate cases of unlawful recruitments.
Recruitment of Africans in the Russia and Ukraine war
Russia and Ukraine have garnered significant attention in recent years, not solely due to the ongoing conflict between them, but also because of the underhanded tactics both nations employ to get the upper hand in the conflict.
One of the said tactics is the unlawful recruitment of Africans into the war between both East European countries.
According to investigations and diplomatic comments, young African males, many of them coming from nations with severe unemployment and economic distress, most notably Kenya, are being lured to Russia or Ukraine with promises of well-paying civilian jobs, security duties, or educational prospects.
However, upon landing, several have had their passports taken and were persuaded or bullied into signing military contracts, often written in Russian or in legal jargon that they do not fully understand.
Social media ads, informal agents, and shadow networks are commonly used in recruitment, with promises of earnings significantly beyond local standards, sometimes combined with incentives such as residence or citizenship paths.
In certain cases, fraudulent passports and transit channels through foreign nations were apparently employed to relocate recruits quietly.
There have also been verified fatalities of African nationals fighting on Russia’s side, causing diplomatic friction.
