Balogun Ridwan, a Nigerian national has reportedly been captured by Ukrainian troops while allegedly fighting on the side of Russia in the ongoing war.
According to reports by Ukrainian outlet United24 Media, Ridwan said he travelled to Russia after being promised an engineering job but was instead compelled to sign a military contract upon arrival.
He claimed the agreement was written in Russian, a language he did not understand, and that he was not allowed to use his phone to translate the document before signing.
“The day we signed the contract, I didn’t understand the language. They didn’t allow us to use our phones to translate,” he was quoted as saying, adding that he initially believed he would be assigned work related to his profession.
The report stated that after undergoing a few weeks of training, he was deployed to the frontline. He alleged that recruits were subjected to difficult conditions and had their phones confiscated again before deployment.
Ridwan was reportedly taken into custody during a Ukrainian operation in January after surrendering. The exact location of his capture was not disclosed.
Earlier, some Nigerian media outlets had listed him among citizens believed to have died while fighting in the conflict, alongside Adam Anas, Akinlawon Tunde Quyuum, and Abugu Stanley Onyeka, who were said to have been recruited under the guise of security jobs.
His case follows recent claims by Ukrainian military intelligence that two other Nigerians — Hamzat Kolawole and Mbah Udoka — were killed while allegedly fighting for Russia.
The war between Russia and Ukraine, now entering its fourth year, has drawn international attention over reports of foreign nationals being recruited into the conflict.
Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs recently raised concerns about Nigerians being unlawfully recruited to participate in foreign armed engagements.
