Thirty-one-year-old Benjamin Oloko, a trader at Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan, Oyo State, believed he had finally found his escape route from Nigeria’s harsh economic realities when a friend directed him to a recruitment agency on Facebook.
According to The Punch, the agency advertised what appeared to be a life-changing opportunity: a private security job in Russia offering a monthly salary of $1,500 and a $20,000 sign-up bonus.
The offer seemed too good to ignore. Determined to “japa” and fearful that family and friends might discourage him by citing the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, Oloko quietly pursued the opportunity. Confident that the promised income would cover any expenses, he borrowed money to fund the process. Between the agent’s fees, visa processing and flight ticket, he spent roughly $1,000.
In mid-September 2025, Oloko landed in Russia filled with hope and optimism. But the excitement quickly gave way to unease. At the airport, officials collected his passport and mobile phone, instructing him to contact his designated “handler” for pickup and transport to a hotel. He waited for nearly eight hours before a Belarusian man arrived. Before leaving the airport, the man demanded $500, claiming it was required to hand Oloko over to the main Russian agent who would arrange his accommodation. Oloko paid without protest.
At the hotel, he discovered he was not alone. Four other Africans were lodged there with him: another Nigerian, who turned out to be a serving Amotekun officer from Oyo State, and three others from Uganda, Kenya and Sudan. Over the next five days, conversations with the men began to raise troubling questions. It became increasingly clear that the job was not private security, but recruitment into the Russian military.
Alarmed, Oloko contacted his family and friends for the first time to reveal his situation. He also confronted the Nigerian agent who had facilitated his travel. The agent’s story shifted. What was initially presented as a private security role was now described as a non-combat military job, with assurances that Oloko would only work in a kitchen and never be sent to the frontlines.
His family strongly advised him not to sign any contract.
“They told me that signing that contract would be like signing my death warrant,” Oloko recalled.
After more than a week, the group was transferred to a military training camp. Upon arrival, three of the five Africans signed the contract immediately. Oloko and the Amotekun officer refused. The three who signed began taking photos and recording videos, sending them to the Russian agent to show how comfortable they appeared. The display intensified pressure on the two holdouts.
For the first two weeks, officials tried to persuade them with promises of benefits and rewards. By the third week, persuasion turned into intimidation.
“We were threatened and put under serious pressure to sign,” Oloko said.
A middle-aged Russian woman, identified as the agent in charge, told them their refusal was costing her money. When they still declined, she insisted they would not be allowed to leave the camp unless they reimbursed the cost of their accommodation and feeding, which amounted to $500. They paid the money and were released.
A driver was instructed to take them back to the hotel. However, about two hours into the journey, the driver abruptly stopped the vehicle, ordered them out, seized their wallets and passports, and drove away.
“They dumped us in the bush,” Oloko said. “We had to walk for hours until morning before we found help.”
After trekking for nearly seven hours, they encountered a Belarusian truck driver who assisted them into a nearby town. From there, they made their way to the airport, but their passports were never returned. Even after the Nigerian embassy intervened, the Russian agent reportedly refused to release the documents.
Eventually, Oloko had to borrow money from home to secure his return to Nigeria. The Amotekun officer also managed to make it back. Oloko remains in contact with the three men who signed the military contract. According to him, two have since died in the war, while the third survived a bomb blast and remains hospitalised with serious injuries.
He said, “After I refused to sign the military contract, and left Russia, the two that signed have died in the war, while the third survived a bomb blast and remains hospitalised with serious injuries.”
During his time at the camp, Oloko said he saw many other Africans undergoing training, some forced to continue despite being injured.
“My survival is because I listened to my family and friends,” he said. “If I had signed that contract, I would most likely be dead by now, just like many of the Africans I met there.” See More
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