Andrey Podyelyshev, Russian ambassador to Nigeria, has dismissed reports alleging the conscription of Nigerians as soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
Last week, a CNN investigation disclosed how Africans from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda were reportedly lured to Russia after on the guise of civilian job offers such as drivers or security guards.
Most said they were promised a signing bonus of $13,000, monthly salaries as high as $3,500, and Russian citizenship at the end of their service.
But when they landed in Russia, they were allegedly forced into the military and given little training before being deployed to the frontline.
They were reportedly made to sign military service contracts in Russian without lawyers or translation provided. Some alleged that their passports confiscated, effectively making it impossible to flee.
There were also reports of racial abuse and inhumane treatment.
The CNN investigation was not the first time such a report would surface.
But Podyelyshev distanced the Kremlin from the alleged recruitment programmes in a press conference at the Russian embassy in Abuja on Tuesday,
“I don’t have any confirmation from Russia about this,” the envoy said.
“There is no government supported programme to recruit Nigerians to fight in Ukraine. So if there are some illegal organisations, some illegal people who are not abiding by the law, if they are trying to recruit Nigerians to fight in Ukraine by any unlawful means, this is not connected to Russian state.”
The envoy said Russia is ready to investigate cases of the alleged recruitment pending the provision of “evidence”.
