Families of affected Nigerians, particularly from Rivers and Ogun states, have expressed grief and outrage following revelations that their relatives were recruited to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
An unnamed Nigerian man, captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting for Russia, has narrated how he was allegedly forced into military service under false pretences.
In a video posted on 𝕏, the man said his phone was confiscated and he was compelled to sign documents written in Russian without understanding their contents.
According to him, he initially believed he was undergoing training for employment in his professional field.
He said he completed an intensive one-week course, followed by a two-week programme, only to be abruptly deployed to the battlefront.
The man also recounted the experience of another Nigerian, identified as Abubakar, who reportedly suffered a heart-related episode during training and was hospitalised for five days.
Upon recovery, he said, Abubakar realised he was being forcibly conscripted and refused to comply with orders.
Despite signing documents agreeing to a three-month jail term with a promise of eventual return to Nigeria, Abubakar was allegedly sent to the frontline without proper military training.
The captured Nigerian said he does not know Abubakar’s current whereabouts.
Abubakar Adamu Seeks FG’s Intervention
Days earlier, Abubakar Adamu had appealed to the Federal Government through his legal representatives for urgent intervention to secure his repatriation from Russia, claiming he was lured into the army under the guise of a civilian security job.
According to security analyst and publisher, Zagazola Makama, Adamu’s lawyers informed Nigerian authorities that he travelled to Moscow on a tourist visa issued on October 16, 2025, by the Russian Embassy in Abuja, believing he would work as a security guard.
However, upon arrival, his travel documents were reportedly confiscated, and he was compelled to sign enlistment papers written in Russian without an interpreter.
He later discovered he had been enlisted into the Russian military.
In a formal petition submitted to Nigerian authorities, Adamu’s legal team invoked the doctrine of Non Est Factum, arguing that he did not understand the nature or implications of the documents he signed.
They alleged misrepresentation and coercion, stating that he was lured into military service under false pretences.
According to the lawyers, Adamu is currently being held in a Russian military camp and has refused deployment to combat zones in Ukraine.
They demanded that Russian authorities halt any deployment, return his seized documents and facilitate his safe return to Nigeria.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, February 12, 2026, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry released photographs of two Nigerians, Hamzat Kazeem Kolawole and Mbah Stephen Udoka, reported to have died while fighting for Russia in Luhansk.
Kolawole reportedly signed a contract to join the Russian military in August 2025, while Udoka enlisted on September 28, 2025.
Both men had no prior military training and were said to have died during an attempt to storm Ukrainian positions.