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Job scam: How Nigerians are lured into Ukraine-Russia war
They boarded planes believing they were heading to work sites, supermarkets or security posts. Instead, they arrived at military camps, where refusal to fight meant intimidation, detention or abandonment. As the Russia-Ukraine war grinds on, young Nigerians are emerging as disposable foot soldiers — recruited not by ideology, but by hunger.
Thirty-one-year-old Benjamin Oloko, who sold wares at Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan, Oyo State, believed he was set to japa for good when a friend asked him to check out a recruitment agency he found on Facebook last year. On the page was a lucrative job offer — a security job promising $1,500 monthly and a $20,000 sign-up bonus. The job was in Russia, a 15-hour flight from Nigeria.
Fearing that family and friends might not let his destiny shine, Oloko began the process discreetly. His worry was that they might persuade him not to seek greener pastures by pointing to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which began in 2022. Desperate to escape Nigeria’s economic hardship, he borrowed money, convinced that repayment would not be a problem once he began earning his lavish pay in Russia.
He paid the agent’s fee, bought his ticket and processed his visa, spending about $1,000 in all. By mid-September 2025, Oloko arrived in Russia brimming with excitement and ready to achieve his dreams of a beautiful life.
Upon arrival, airport officials collected his passport and phone after instructing him to notify his “handler” to pick him up and take him to the hotel booked for him. After about eight hours at the airport, a Belarusian man arrived to pick him up. He was immediately asked to pay $500 to be handed over to the main agent in Russia to sort out accommodation, which he promptly did.
At the hotel, Oloko was lodged alongside four other Africans. One was another Nigerian, who turned out to be an Amotekun personnel from Oyo State who had abandoned the outfit for the better-paying Russia job offer. The other three were from Uganda, Kenya and Sudan.
Oloko stayed at the hotel for five days. It was during his interaction with his fellow Africans that he began to realise he might not be in Russia for a private security job after all, but a Russian Army assignment. It was at this point that he called family and friends to reveal where he was and what awaited him — that he had been lured to Russia to join the military.
When he contacted his Nigerian agent for confirmation, the narrative changed from a private security job to claims that he would only work in the kitchen at the war camp and would not be deployed to the frontline. While awaiting transfer to the military camp, his family warned him against signing any contract.
“I was warned that signing the contract meant signing my death warrant,” Oloko said.
Frontline reality
After more than a week, he and the others were moved to the military camp for training. On arrival, three of them signed the contract, while Oloko and the Amotekun officer refused. The three who signed began taking pictures and videos, which they sent to the Russian agent to show they were living their best lives. This put pressure on Oloko and his newfound ally.
Initially, they were enticed with promises of several goodies. This lasted two weeks. By the third week, enticement gave way to threats to sign the contract.
“We were threatened and put under serious pressure to sign the contract,” Oloko said.
The Russian agent, a middle-aged woman, warned that our refusal to sign the contract would make her lose money. When they remained unyielding, she said they would not be allowed to leave the camp until they refunded all the money spent on lodging and feeding them. This amounted to $500, which they paid before being released.
After collecting the money, she instructed her driver to take them away from the camp and return them to the hotel. Angry over the failed mission, Oloko said that after about two hours of driving, the driver suddenly stopped, asked them to pick up their belongings and get out of the car.
“The driver, after about two hours, asked us to get down and dropped us in the bush. He collected our wallet and passport. We had to walk for several hours, till dawn, before we got help,” Oloko said.
They found themselves in the middle of nowhere — foreigners in a strange land. Oloko said they trekked for seven hours before encountering a Belarusian truck driver who helped them to town.
“We arrived at the airport, but our passports were not released. Even with the involvement of the Nigerian embassy, the Russian agent refused to release our passports.”
Oloko said he had to call home to borrow money to return to Nigeria. His Amotekun ally also returned home. He added that he kept in touch with the other three who signed up for the war.
Presently, Oloko said two of them have died in the war, while one escaped with injuries from a bomb blast and is still hospitalised. He said he saw many Africans during his stay at the military camp, many forced to continue training despite sustaining injuries.
Similarly, 36-year-old Nigerian mechanic, Bankole Manchi, left Lagos to secure a Russia security job that promised N500,000 monthly. An agent handled the travel process, requesting minimal personal information. Unlike Oloko, Bankole informed his family of his plans to travel to Russia to make ends meet. He travelled through Addis Ababa to Moscow.
Upon arrival, Bankole said he was handed over to men who assured him everything was fine. Instead of being taken to a workplace, he was transported to a military-style camp where he met recruits from Nigeria, Ghana, France, Brazil and China.
He said many struggled to communicate due to language barriers and relied on translation apps. According to him, they were told there was “no way out” once inside the facility. Training began with basic drills before progressing to weapon handling, grenade practice and night operations. Several recruits were injured during training but were still forced to continue.
Bankole said they were later moved at night to what they realised was Ukrainian territory. Shortly after arriving at the frontline, heavy gunfire broke out and he was shot in the leg. He added that food was extremely scarce, with recruits surviving mainly on water for days before receiving medical attention. He described African recruits as “disposable fighters”.
Dominant among the jobs used to lure Africans to Russia are private security roles, supermarket work, airport jobs or housekeeping. Leaving their countries with promises of well-paid civilian employment, they arrive only to be detained and dumped in military camps, trained as soldiers and deployed to the frontline after signing contracts.
The recruitment network targets young Africans in their 20s and 30s, pressuring them into military service upon arrival. Oloko and Bankole are among many Nigerians lured into serving as mercenaries in the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2014, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine commencing on February 24, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hinged the invasion, after years of tension between Russia and Ukraine, on Kyiv’s growing ties with the West, which he viewed as a threat to Russia’s influence. Putin cited alleged genocide against Russian speakers in the Donbas as justification. However, these claims were widely discredited, with the invasion largely seen as an attempt to reassert Russia’s influence over Ukraine and prevent its deeper integration into the European Union and NATO.
At the outbreak of the war, both Russia and Ukraine openly invited mercenaries from across the world to join their forces. Ukraine’s invitation, titled “Join the Brave,” listed units such as the 3rd Assault Brigade, 60th Separate Mechanised Brigade, 53rd Separate Mechanised Brigade, Compania Serpente, Able and Omega Company.
Requirements included an age limit of 18 to 60 years, no criminal record, no chronic illnesses, physical fitness, ability to legally enter Ukraine and relevant experience. Applicants were required to submit personal details, links to social media accounts, marital status, preferred unit, medical conditions, military experience and the duration they were willing to serve — between six months and “until victory”.
Grim reality
In terms of casualties, a report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in June 2025 revealed that more than 13,300 civilians had been killed and over 31,700 injured since February 2022.
Similarly, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, based in Washington, D.C., estimated that Russian military deaths and injuries would reach one million by the summer of 2025. It also estimated Ukrainian military casualties since 2022 at about 400,000, including roughly 100,000 soldiers killed.
In 2022, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that 38 Nigerian fighters had been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war. According to the ministry, 85 Nigerians had enlisted as foreign mercenaries, of whom 38 were killed while 35 returned home.
The ministry faulted Kyiv’s claim that 20,000 foreign mercenaries were supporting Ukraine’s defence, insisting that it monitored and recorded every foreign national who entered Ukraine as a mercenary or trainee.
By November 2025, however, Reuters quoted Ukraine’s Foreign Minister as saying that more than 1,400 citizens from 36 African countries were fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials claimed that Russia bolstered its troops by recruiting fighters from various countries, sometimes through deception.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiha, said Russia was enticing Africans to sign contracts he described as “equivalent to a death sentence”.
“Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate. Most of them are immediately sent to the so-called meat assaults, where they are quickly killed,” Sybiha said.
He added that the number of African recruits could be higher than the 1,436 identified from 36 countries, noting that most foreign mercenaries in Ukrainian custody were captured during their first combat mission.
Following these revelations, the South African government said it would investigate how 17 of its citizens joined mercenary forces after the men sent distress calls seeking help to return home. Similarly, Kenya said some of its citizens had been detained in military camps across Russia after “unknowingly” getting caught up in the conflict.
OSOGBO — The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the outcome of the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that it is not convinced that Governor Ademola Adeleke secured the highest number of valid votes.
INEC on Sunday declared Adeleke the winner after the Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwale, announced the final results at the commission’s headquarters in Osogbo.
Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dr Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
However, the APC said it would not accept the declaration without conducting a comprehensive review of the electoral process.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on Monday, the Director-General of the APC campaign for the Osun governorship election, Hon. Oluwole Oke, said the party had commenced an audit of the results and electoral materials from the poll.
Oke said the party had directed its agents across the state to submit relevant result sheets for scrutiny as it investigates alleged infractions.
“We need to do the needful which is to evaluate the process, review the process and then form an opinion. We’ve embarked on an audit process; we’ve asked all our party agents to submit copies of Form EC8A, B, C to our secretariat for review. We need to inspect all the materials because we do not agree with the declaration of INEC, and that’s our position for now,” he said.
The APC campaign chief also dismissed suggestions that the party was under pressure to immediately accept the outcome following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s congratulatory message to Adeleke.
Tinubu had congratulated Adeleke after the declaration, describing the outcome as a reflection of the will of the people.
Reacting to the President’s position, Oke said Tinubu spoke in his capacity as President and a democrat following INEC’s declaration.
“Mr. President spoke as the Father of the nation and a democrat following the declaration by INEC,” he said.
Oke, however, maintained that the APC would rely on its own assessment of the election after completing its review.
“We’re on ground and politics is local and, like I’ve told you, what we’re doing is to conduct a thorough review of the entire process and form an opinion,” he said.
He added that the party would not be rushed into congratulating Adeleke, insisting that its preliminary position was that the governor did not secure the highest number of valid votes.
“We won’t be under any subtle pressure to easily reach out to congratulate Senator Ademola Adeleke because we believe he didn’t score the highest valid votes,” Oke said.
The APC is expected to determine its next course of action after completing its audit and reviewing the electoral materials and results submitted by its agents.
ABAKALIKI — The 2027 governorship race in Ebonyi State is gathering momentum, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Odii, unveiling a package of reforms aimed at improving the welfare of workers, teachers and retirees.
Odii made the commitments during a meeting with representatives of Ebonyi civil servants and members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) at his Lagos residence, where he outlined his plans for a comprehensive reform of the state’s public service.
A major component of his agenda is a workers’ housing scheme designed to provide 1,000 housing units within his first year in office and up to 5,000 units over four years if elected governor.
Odii said the housing programme would be structured to minimise dependence on direct government funding, with workers’ contributions and existing pension assets forming part of the financing framework.
He said the initiative would address the housing difficulties faced by workers and retirees, particularly retirees who often struggle to sustain rented accommodation after leaving government service.
The PDP candidate also proposed a paperless digital loan platform that would allow workers to access loans against their contributory pension savings without the bureaucratic delays associated with the existing system.
On retirement benefits, Odii pledged that workers would have access to their entitlements immediately upon retirement, arguing that retirees should not endure prolonged delays in receiving benefits accrued during their years of service.
He further promised to reform the promotion process through computer-based promotion examinations capable of producing results instantly.
According to him, the digital system would reduce delays, curb opportunities for manipulation and promote greater transparency and fairness in the career progression of civil servants.
Odii said the proposed reforms were aimed at creating a public service where workers would have improved access to housing, credit facilities and timely retirement benefits, while ensuring a more transparent promotion system.
He presented the proposals as part of his broader agenda to improve workers’ welfare and reposition the Ebonyi State civil service for greater efficiency if elected governor in 2027.
The MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited (MEDL) has confirmed the death of one of its operations staff in an electrical accident.
The Head of Communications, MEDL, Mr Emeka Ezeh, who confirmed the incident in Enugu on Monday, said that the incident occured on Aug. 13 at Eke in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Ezeh said that the incident, which occurred at about 1p.m., involved Mr. Samson Okechi, the Team Lead, Abor, attached to the company’s 9th Mile District.
He said, “Okechi was carrying out maintenance work on a 50kVA/11kV pole-mounted distribution substation at Eke when he sustained an electric shock.
“Okechi was immediately evacuated to Our Saviour Hospital, Ngwo, for medical attention but was pronounced dead by the doctor on duty. His remains were subsequently deposited at a mortuary.”
He said that the incident was formally reported at the Ngwo Police Station for documentation and other necessary statutory actions.
Ezeh also debunked claims circulating on some social media platforms that Okechi was murdered or that the incident was the result of sabotage.
“I wonder why some people take pleasure in conjuring unfounded narratives and circulating them, thereby creating unnecessary tension and bad blood. This is so unfair,” he said.
He urged members of the public to disregard the claims, describing them as baseless.
According to him, Okechi had requested a Station Guarantee (SG) for the Okwe 11kV Feeder, which was granted at about 11:06 a.m. at the 9th Mile Injection Substation. The feeder was subsequently opened and tagged.
“This is a very unfortunate development and a big shock to all of us, his colleagues. Our hearts go out to his immediate family as they grieve,” Ezeh said.
The MEDL spokesman disclosed that MainPower management had commenced a comprehensive investigation to establish the immediate, underlying and root causes of the accident.
He said, “We are committed to ensuring that the investigation is thorough and evidence-based.
“The findings will be used to identify any gaps, determine appropriate corrective measures, and strengthen safety procedures and operational controls where necessary.”
Ezeh MEDL assured its customers and stakeholders that safety remained a paramount priority in its operations, adding that appropriate measures would be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.
Idiaye, a third-term lawmaker, takes over from Blessing Agbebaku, who resigned as Speaker on Monday amid moves by lawmakers to impeach him.
The emergence of Idiaye was said to have been influenced by the gentleman’s zoning arrangement in the Assembly, which provides that when the governor is from the Edo Central Senatorial District, the Speaker should come from Edo North.
Idiaye, being the oldest member from the Edo North Senatorial District, was subsequently elected Speaker.
Without the zoning arrangement, the Deputy Speaker would have automatically succeeded Agbebaku, according to the new Speaker.
Members of the Assembly were at the Government House to inform Governor Monday Okpebholo of the change in leadership.
Agbebaku was said to have resigned early on Monday following alleged moves by lawmakers to impeach him.
Reports gathered that 17 of the 24 lawmakers had signed a notice of impeachment on Sunday night, a development that may have prompted his resignation.
Agbebaku’s resignation was confirmed by Ebojele, who said details of the development would be made public later.
She said, “I can confirm the Speaker’s resignation but details will be made public later.”
The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, has resigned from his position.
Agbebaku stepped down on Monday amid moves by some lawmakers to impeach him.
His resignation was confirmed on Facebook by his media aide, Ivy Adodo-Ebojele, who said further details on the circumstances surrounding his exit would be made public later.
“EDO ASSEMBLY SPEAKER RT HON CHIEF BLESSING AGBEBAKU RESIGNS,” she wrote.
The development has thrown the Edo State House of Assembly into a fresh leadership crisis, with lawmakers expected to determine a new Speaker.
Details shortly…
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