- The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs debunked reports that Russia is conscripting Nigerian and other African students for the Ukraine war
- The Ministry affirmed no Nigerian students have been conscripted, dismissing the reports as false and misleading
The Federal Government has debunked reports claiming that the Russian Government is conscripting Nigerian and other African students to participate in the ongoing war with Ukraine in exchange for visa renewals.
On Monday, reports emerged that numerous African students, including Nigerians, were being coerced into joining the Russian military to secure visa renewals.
In a statement released late Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed these reports as baseless.
“The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to news articles published by several Nigerian media outlets on Monday, 10th June 2024, alleging that the Russian Government is recruiting Nigerian and other African students to fight in the ongoing war with Ukraine with the promise of visa renewals.
“The Ministry wishes to inform the public that the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow is in close communication with the Executives of the Nigerian Students Association in Moscow, Russia. There has not been any reported case of Nigerian students conscription nor other African students to fight in the aforementioned war.
“The newspaper reports are, therefore, false and misleading and should, therefore, be disregarded,” stated the Ministry’s spokesperson, Amb. Eche Abu-Obe.
Bloomberg had earlier reported that Russia is allegedly enlisting thousands of migrants and foreign students, including Nigerians, to fight alongside its troops in Ukraine in exchange for visa extensions. According to the newspaper, European officials claimed that Russia is using coercive tactics to recruit Africans and other foreign nationals, threatening not to extend their visas unless they join the military.
“Some Africans in Russia on work visas have been detained and forced to decide between deportation or fighting,” Bloomberg quoted a European official.