A Nigerian man, Balogun Ridwan, was reportedly captured by Ukrainian forces after allegedly being deceived into joining the Russian army and deployed to fight in the Ukraine war.
A Nigerian national, Balogun Ridwan, has reportedly been captured by Ukrainian forces after allegedly fighting for Russia in the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian media platform UnitedMedia24. The report said Mr Ridwan travelled to Russia on a tourist visa after being promised an engineering job but was forced to sign a military contract written in Russian upon arrival, without being allowed to translate it. “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 was quoted as saying.
He reportedly underwent brief and chaotic training before being deployed to the frontline, where he later surrendered to Ukrainian troops during a raid in January. Appealing for help, he said, “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.” His case adds to previous reports of Nigerians allegedly recruited under false pretences to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.
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