THE Foundation for Peace Professionals, PeacePro, has formally called on the Russian Embassy in Nigeria to explain recent allegations that Nigerian civilians have been coerced into military service under deceptive employment offers.
In a statement by the Executive Director of PeacePro, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group said the Russian embassy should explain the circumstances behind the unfortunate situation.
According to Balogun, a Nigerian national who traveled to Russia on a tourist visa seeking engineering employment, was promised legitimate work, but was instead taken to a military base. He was reportedly presented with documents he could not understand due to language barriers, denied access to a translator or his phone, and subsequently deployed to a conflict zone after only weeks of training.
“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,” Balogun stated.
Hamzat described the alleged incident as a serious breach of human rights and international norms, urging the Russian Government to provide immediate clarification and to cooperate with Nigerian authorities to ensure the protection of Nigerian citizens abroad.
“This is not only a matter of individual rights, but of diplomatic accountability. Any attempt to recruit foreign nationals under false pretenses undermines trust, violates international law and exposes states to reputational risks,” PeacePro said.
Hamzat further urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to strengthen safeguards for citizens travelling abroad, ensuring that employment opportunities do not become mechanisms for exploitation or involuntary military involvement.
“PeacePro concluded that this situation calls for urgent diplomatic engagement, transparent investigation and robust protection measures to prevent further harm to Nigerian citizens abroad,” the statement by Abdulrazaq O Hamzat, Executive Director Foundation for Peace Professionals, said.