The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed reports suggesting that Nigerian students in Russia were being pressured into joining the conflict in Ukraine for visa renewals.
According to Bloomberg, Russia was allegedly recruiting migrants and foreign students to bolster its troops, reminiscent of tactics used by mercenary groups like Wagner.
European officials claimed that the Kremlin threatened not to extend visas for African students and young workers unless they joined the military.
However, the Ministry refuted these claims as “false and misleading,” stressing that there have been no reported cases of Nigerian or African students being conscripted.
Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, the ministry’s spokesperson, urged media outlets to verify information before dissemination.
“The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to news articles published by several Nigerian media outlets on Monday, June 10, 2024, informing the public that the Russian Government is engaging Nigerian and other African students to participate in the ongoing war with Ukraine with the promise of visa renewals.
“The Ministry wishes to inform that the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow is in close communication with the executives of the Nigerian Students Association in Moscow, Russia and there has not been any reported case of conscription of Nigerian students nor indeed of other African students to fight in the aforementioned war.
“The newspaper reports are, therefore, false and misleading and should therefore be disregarded. The Ministry wishes to seize this occasion to appeal to media outlets to exercise due diligence in the line of duty by verifying information at their disposal before releasing it to the public.”
