Channels TV: Nigerian Navy Veteran Killed Fighting for Russia - "It's Hard to Believe Anyone Would Be Recruited From West Africa to Go Fight Up There"

Channels Television's Network Africa programme covered a Punch Newspapers investigation revealing how young Nigerians have been deceived into joining Russia's war against Ukraine. The report's author, Alicia, joined the programme from Lagos to discuss findings centered on three Nigerian nationals - Ayebusiwa Victor, Kazim Kolawole, and Steven Udoka - whose dreams of relocating abroad turned into frontline deployment.

According to the report, at least 316 African recruits have been killed in the war since it began in February 2022.

The case that made it real

Asked why this story differs from previous reports that were debunked, Alicia explained the turning point was an announcement by the Ukrainian government confirming that Nigerian national Ayebusiwa Victor had been killed in the war. A search of his Facebook profile revealed he had previously served in the Nigerian Navy.

"I have no idea how he left the Nigerian Navy and ended at the front line of the Russia-Ukraine war," she said. That discovery led her to investigate further, uncovering stories of other Nigerians - one who managed to return home, and others who were confirmed dead at the front of a war that, as she put it, "did not concern them."

The recruitment mechanism

Recruits were lured with promises of foreign-currency salaries for entry-level jobs - drivers, security guards - only to end up at the front. Contracts were written in Russian, with no translators or lawyers present, and contained binding, open-ended clauses: a ban on foreign travel if recruits ever gained access to state secrets, mandatory surrender of passports, and reimbursement obligations to the Russian state for military training costs - on top of the deployment to the front line itself.

One who got out

Adu Adale, identified in the report, returned to Nigeria. He had been convicted of a crime while in Russia and was offered the choice of a two-year prison sentence or joining the Russian army. He declined the military option and served his sentence instead. Steven Udoka and Kazim Kolawole, by contrast, have been confirmed dead by the Ukrainian government.

Why these stories are met with disbelief

Alicia acknowledged the skepticism such reports face: "It's hard to believe that anyone would be recruited from West Africa to go fight up there in Russia" - citing climate, language barriers, and the basic implausibility of voluntarily signing up during an active war. The Russian government maintains that all volunteers signed up voluntarily and with full knowledge of what they were agreeing to.

But Alicia pointed to a contradiction in that narrative: in February 2026, approximately 15 South African nationals were repatriated following an agreement between the South African and Russian governments. "If these people voluntarily signed up, why were they repatriated?"

Victims have reported being made to sign contracts not written in English, without access to a translator - in some cases not understanding what they were agreeing to at all. Alicia noted this implies both pressure to sign and the involvement of local recruitment agencies operating inside Nigeria.

The broader pattern

This case is part of a documented pattern affecting at least 215 known Nigerian recruits, with at least 25 confirmed dead or missing, as reported by Ukraine's Defence Intelligence. The Punch investigation adds to reporting from a variety of sources including the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Fortify Rights & Truth Hounds, National Security Journal and others confirming the same recruitment mechanism: foreign-currency salary promises, Russian-language contracts, document confiscation, and frontline deployment with minimal training.

StopRussianRecruiters.org reminds: if you or your relative were coerced into military service in Russia there is a safe way out provided by the Ukrainian government. Read more here.

Source: Channels Television