Another Nigerian who allegedly fought for Russia in its ongoing war with Ukraine has been captured.
A Ukrainian media platform, UnitedMedia24, reported the alleged deceitful recruitment of Balogun Ridwan, a Nigerian national, and his arrest by the Ukrainian army.
The platform reported that Mr Ridwan had been induced to travel to Russia under the pretext of an engineering job offer.
However, he was forced to sign a contract with the Russian army upon his arrival.
Mr Ridwan told the paper that the contract was written in Russian, which he didn’t understand.
“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 to have said.
Mr Ridwan, according to the paper, received a few weeks of training and was eventually deployed to the frontline.
Narrating his ordeal, he recalled that their phones were confiscated again, and they were subjected to harsh conditions.
Mr Ridwan was reportedly arrested on the frontline, in a Russian base where he was deployed. The report stated that the Nigerian had surrendered to the Ukrainian troops during a raid in January. The report did not specify where he was arrested.
Around the time of his arrest, Mr Ridwan was reported to have died in combat.
On some Nigerian media platforms, he was listed alongside Adam Anas, Akinlawon Tunde Quyuum, and Abugu Stanley Onyeka as Nigerians who died in combat after being recruited on the false pretence of a “security job.”
Mr Ridwan’s story adds to the cases of Nigerians found to be actively fighting for Russia after being deceived into recruitment.
Last week, the Ukrainian Military intelligence said it identified two Nigerians who died on the frontlines while allegedly fighting for Russia in the ongoing war that is now entering its fourth year.
The Nigerians were identified as Hamzat Kolawole and Mbah Udoka.
The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, recently expressed grave concern over the rising cases of Nigerian citizens being illegally recruited to participate in foreign armed conflicts.
DAILY TRUST.
