SUNTV Global Channel | February 5, 2026
No fewer than four Nigerians who travelled to Russia after being promised lucrative “security jobs” have been killed while fighting in the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, SUNTV Global Channel can report.
The victims — Adam Anas, Akinlawon Tunde Quyuum, Abugu Stanley Onyeka, and Balogun Ridwan Adisa — were allegedly deceived by recruiters and forcibly conscripted into the Russian military shortly after their arrival in the country. A fifth Nigerian, Abubakar Adamu, survived and is now appealing to the Nigerian government for urgent intervention and repatriation.
Sources familiar with the matter disclosed that Anas, Quyuum, Onyeka and Adamu travelled together to Russia in November 2025, while Adisa had reportedly been recruited earlier. The four Nigerians were killed on different dates between December 2025 and January 2026 during frontline combat operations in Ukraine.
According to investigations, the men were recruited through a Nigerian agent identified as Emiola Muhammad, who allegedly presented the opportunity as a civilian security job in Russia, with promises of a monthly salary of 200,000 rubles (about ₦3.6 million), allowances and other benefits.
Upon arrival at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, the Nigerians were reportedly diverted from normal immigration procedures and granted entry clearance under a special arrangement linked to military enlistment.
A document obtained by SUNTV Global Channel indicates that the Russian military formally instructed border officials to allow the Nigerians entry for contract recruitment into the Russian Army, with onward movement to a military recruitment centre in Yaroslavl.
Sources said the recruits were immediately compelled to sign military contracts written entirely in Russian, without translation or legal explanation. Their passports and mobile phones were seized shortly after.
“They took our phones and passports immediately. Some of us secretly kept phones. After hours in Moscow, they drove us overnight for about five hours to a military camp,” one African recruit was quoted as saying.
After undergoing three weeks of military training, the Nigerians were deployed to active combat zones.
In a chilling voice note sent shortly before his death, Adam Anas described the dire conditions at the frontline.
“Please pray for us. We are inside a forest. It is a two-week journey on foot and very dangerous because of drones. We have trekked for four days already. They are sending us one after another,” he said.
Anas is survived by a wife and three young children.
Families of the deceased said they were never officially informed of the deaths by Russian authorities. Instead, news of the fatalities emerged through a secret WhatsApp group reportedly created by African mercenaries fighting for Russia.
“We only knew he was dead when his picture was shared in a secret WhatsApp group. No Russian authority contacted us,” a relative of Anas said.
Sources further alleged that African recruits were warned not to inform families of fallen fighters.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Abuja has not issued any official statement on the matter. Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said it was unaware of the incident.
“It is a sad and unfortunate development, but the Ministry is not aware,” ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa was quoted as saying.
The lone known survivor, Abubakar Adamu, has formally appealed to the Nigerian government through his lawyer, stating that he was deceived and forcibly conscripted.
“Our client was recruited under the false pretense of a civilian security job. Upon arrival, his passport was confiscated and he was coerced into signing documents written solely in Russian, without an interpreter,” the lawyer’s letter stated.
The legal team demanded his immediate release, return of his travel documents, and safe repatriation to Nigeria, citing violations of international human rights law and fundamental misrepresentation.
The development comes amid growing international concern over Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals, particularly Africans, for its war effort.
Late last year, Ukraine claimed that over 1,400 Africans from 36 countries were fighting for Russia. In November 2025, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that such contracts were “equivalent to signing a death sentence.”
A December report by the French Institute of International Relations also alleged that African recruits are often used as cannon fodder on high-risk frontline missions, with their passports confiscated to prevent escape.
Across Africa, fears are mounting that economically vulnerable young men are being targeted with false promises of employment, residency or financial rewards — only to end up trapped in one of the world’s deadliest conflicts.
SUNTV Global Channel will continue to monitor developments and bring updates as the Nigerian government responds to the growing calls for action.
