Another Nigerian Man Captured While Fighting For Russia In Ukraine

Another Nigerian, who is alleged to have fought for Russia in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine, has reportedly been captured by Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian media outlet UnitedMedia24 reported that Balogun Ridwan, a Nigerian national, was allegedly recruited under false pretences and later arrested by the Ukrainian army.

According to the platform, Mr Ridwan travelled to Russia after being promised an engineering job. However, upon arrival, he was allegedly compelled to sign a contract with the Russian army. Mr Ridwan was quoted as saying the contract was written in Russian, a language he did not understand.

“The day we were signing the contract, I didn’t understand the language. They didn’t allow us to use our phones to translate, so we signed our contracts. I told them already about my job. Maybe they were going to put me in my field. I didn’t know they would use me,” he reportedly said.

The report stated that he received a few weeks of training before being deployed to the frontline. He described the training as chaotic and said recruits were subjected to harsh conditions, with their phones confiscated.

According to him, another African recruit identified as Bubaka suffered a heart attack during training but was still deployed.

“We spent 16 days, not weeks, but the guy [Bubaka] didn’t pass his training at all. He was still sent with us to go to war. This was very bad,” he was quoted as saying.

Mr Ridwan was reportedly captured during a Ukrainian raid on a Russian base where he had been deployed. The report indicated that he surrendered to Ukrainian troops in January, although it did not specify the location of his arrest.

At the time of his capture, some Nigerian media outlets had reported him dead, listing him alongside Adam Anas, Akinlawon Tunde Quyuum, and Abugu Stanley Onyeka as Nigerians allegedly killed in combat after being recruited under the guise of “security jobs.” It remains unclear when Mr Ridwan travelled to Russia or the exact date he was deployed, as the Ukrainian platform did not provide those details.

UnitedMedia24 reported that Mr Ridwan is now appealing for assistance to return to Nigeria, insisting he was deceived into joining the conflict.

“I travelled to Russia on a tourist visa to find a job. The government of Russia grossly fooled me, turned me into a soldier, and sent me to war in Ukraine. I appeal to my government, to my president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Forgive your son. I left home to feed my family. It did not work out the way I wanted. I went to have a job as a mechanic or engineer,” he reportedly said.

His case adds to a growing number of reports of Nigerians allegedly recruited to fight for Russia under misleading circumstances.

Last week, Ukrainian military intelligence said it had identified two Nigerians, Hamzat Kolawole and Mbah Udoka, who were allegedly killed while fighting for Russia. According to previous reports, they died in late November during a Ukrainian drone strike in the Luhansk region.

Investigations by various media organisations have highlighted cases of foreign nationals allegedly lured to Russia with promises of employment, higher wages or educational opportunities, only to later find themselves deployed to combat zones.

The Nigerian government has previously warned citizens against being recruited into foreign armed conflicts. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, recently expressed concern over reports that Nigerians were being compelled to sign military contracts in foreign languages without proper legal guidance. He also noted allegations that travel documents were confiscated upon arrival and that intermediaries facilitated travel under tourist or non-military visa categories.

Authorities have urged Nigerians to verify overseas job offers and avoid recruitment schemes linked to armed conflicts abroad.