A Nigerian man named Abubakar Adamu has appealed to the federal government to facilitate his return to Nigeria, claiming he was misled into joining the Russian army after being promised a civilian job.

According to Zagazola Makama, a publication specializing in counter-terrorism, Adamu's legal team has officially informed Nigerian authorities of his situation. They explained that he traveled to Moscow on a tourist visa issued on October 16, 2025, by the Russian embassy in Abuja, believing he had secured a job as a security guard.

Upon arrival, his passport and other travel documents were allegedly confiscated. His lawyers claim he was forced to sign enlistment documents written entirely in Russian, without translation or an interpreter. It was only afterward that he realized he had been conscripted into the Russian army.

They also stated that Adamu was currently in a Russian military camp and had refused to be deployed to combat zones in Ukraine, leaving him stranded.

This case comes amid heightened surveillance following reports that African nationals were forcibly recruited into the Russian war effort under dubious circumstances. On Thursday, February 12, Ukrainian defense intelligence announced the discovery of the bodies of two Nigerians in the Luhansk region, who had reportedly fought for Russia.

The men, identified as Hamzat Kazeem Kolawole, 42, and Mbah Stephen Udoka, 38, are believed to have died in late November 2025, just months after joining the Russian army.

A recent CNN investigation described how people from countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda were allegedly lured to Russia with the promise of civilian jobs, including as drivers and security guards. The report claimed that some of them were forcibly conscripted into the army, without adequate training, before being sent to the front lines.

In response to these allegations, the Russian ambassador to Nigeria, Andrei Podyelyshev, denied any Kremlin involvement in such a recruitment program, rejecting these claims earlier this week.