The Initiative for Media Development and Social Impact (IMEDSI) has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the alleged recruitment of Nigerians into Russia’s war against Ukraine under deceptive employment arrangements.
The organisation also urged the Federal Government to investigate suspected recruitment networks and establish the whereabouts of missing Nigerians, citing the case of Ramon Jamiu Babatunde, a 42-year-old father of three who reportedly travelled to Russia for civilian employment but allegedly ended up in military service.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday and signed by Ms Onose Oseyi, IMEDSI said Babatunde left his wife and three children in Ibadan, Oyo State, in October 2025 after being recruited through a travel intermediary for what his family understood to be civilian work.
However, documents reportedly reviewed by the organisation indicated that he signed a one-year military contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence on October 17, 2025, shortly after arriving in the country.
The group said Babatunde’s family lost contact with him on November 27, 2025, and had since been unable to obtain reliable information about his whereabouts or condition.
According to IMEDSI, Babatunde travelled on a single-entry Russian tourist visa issued on September 30, 2025, and valid from October 5, 2025, to January 2, 2026.
It alleged that the purported military contract contained provisions assigning him to an assault unit, while refusal to sign could result in police detention, prolonged deportation proceedings, permanent exclusion from Russia and repayment of travel expenses.
Although the document reportedly described the enlistment as voluntary, IMEDSI questioned whether consent could be considered freely given under such circumstances.
“A military contract signed under the threat of detention, deportation and financial penalties cannot simply be accepted at face value as evidence of free consent,” the organisation said.
It, however, acknowledged that it had not independently authenticated the documents or established the full circumstances surrounding Babatunde’s alleged recruitment.
IMEDSI disclosed that Babatunde’s wife, Adewunmi Suliat Ramon, petitioned the Minister of Foreign Affairs on May 9, 2026, seeking government assistance in determining whether her husband remained in military service, had been injured, was being held as a prisoner of war or had died.
The group urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately engage Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in Moscow and designate a consular officer to liaise with Russian authorities over his whereabouts and welfare.
It also raised concerns over reports that at least 13 Nigerians had died fighting alongside Russian forces, insisting that the government should investigate the claims and establish a credible record of citizens allegedly recruited into the conflict.
Names contained in materials reviewed by the organisation included Hamzat Kazeem Kolawole, Mbah Stephen Udoka, Ayebusiwa Olabode Victor, Adam Anas, Akinlawon Tunde Quyuum, Abugu Stanley Onyeka and Balogun Ridwan Adisa.
Others were Adekunle Adaramola, Abdoulaye Issaka Ismael, Agbo Moses Omale, Adamu Abdulai Ismail, Fajobi Taiwo Omoniyi and an individual identified only as Mikael.
The organisation stressed that the identities, nationalities, military affiliations and reported deaths of the individuals had not been independently verified.
It cited an Amnesty International investigation published on September 10, 2026, which reportedly documented cases of foreign nationals being drawn into Russian military service through misleading employment promises and coercive arrangements.
IMEDSI also referenced findings attributed to INPACT/All Eyes on Wagner, which reportedly identified 1,417 African nationals from 35 countries recruited into Russian forces between 2023 and mid-2025, including 316 recorded fatalities.
The group further cited claims attributed to Ukrainian military intelligence in May 2026 that at least 215 Nigerians had signed Russian military contracts, with at least 25 reportedly dead or missing.
It cautioned, however, that figures released by parties to the Russia-Ukraine conflict required independent verification and should not be treated as definitive casualty records.
Beyond diplomatic intervention, IMEDSI called on the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigeria Police Force to investigate travel agencies, employment intermediaries and suspected networks allegedly facilitating recruitment through misleading employment offers.
It urged authorities to treat Nigerians recruited through deception or coercion as potential victims of trafficking and provide them with appropriate protection, while prosecuting individuals found responsible for exploitation.
The organisation also called on the Federal Government to seek information from Ukrainian authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross to determine whether affected Nigerians were among those captured, injured, receiving medical treatment or held as prisoners of war.
It advocated greater coordination through the African Union and ECOWAS to strengthen intelligence-sharing, diplomatic engagement and safeguards against deceptive overseas employment schemes.
IMEDSI said the issue was not about Nigeria taking sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict but about protecting citizens from exploitation and ensuring respect for their rights wherever they were recruited or deployed.
It warned that government advisories against Nigerians joining foreign military conflicts would have limited impact without investigations into recruitment channels and stronger consular protection.
“A travel warning is necessary, but a warning alone cannot locate a missing citizen, rescue an exploited worker or provide answers to a grieving family,” it said.
The organisation urged the Tinubu administration to treat Babatunde’s disappearance as an urgent humanitarian and diplomatic matter, stressing that his wife and children deserved official information about his fate.
It called for every lawful effort to secure his safety and return if he was alive, adding that his family should be formally informed and supported if his death was established.
