 |
Hamzat Kazeen Kolawole (L) and Stephen Udoka (R) also died
fighting in the Ukraine war |
Ukraine says it has discovered the bodies of two Nigerians in its Luhansk region who were allegedly fighting on Russia’s side in the ongoing four-year war.
In a statement on Thursday, Ukraine said military
intelligence operatives made the discovery, identifying the two Nigerians as
Hamzat Kazeen Kolawole, 42, and Mbah Stephen Udoka, 38.
“Both served in the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment
(military unit 91701) of the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division of the Armed Forces of the russian federation,” Ukraine’s defence intelligence
said.
According to the statement, Kolawole and Udoka signed
contracts with the Russian Army in the second half of 2025– Kolawole on August
29 and Udoka on September 28.
Udoka was reportedly without any training prior to his
posting on October 3, five days after his contract signing.
He was allegedly assigned to a unit and sent to the
temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
“No training records for Kolawole have been preserved;
however, it is highly likely that he also received no military training,” the
statement added.
“His wife and three children remain in Nigeria.”
The statement noted that both Nigerians were killed in late
November by a drone strike during an attempt to raid Ukrainian positions in the
Luhansk region.
“Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence warns foreign citizens
against travelling to the russian federation or taking up any work on the
territory of the aggressor state,” Ukraine’s defence intelligence said.
It warned that a trip to Russia is a “real risk of being
forced into a ‘suicide’ assault unit and, ultimately, rotting in Ukrainian
soil”.
Last week, a CNN investigation disclosed how Africans from
Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda were reportedly lured to Russia under the
guise of civilian job offers such as drivers or security guards.
But when they landed in Russia, they were allegedly forced
into the military and given little training before being deployed to the
frontline.
On Tuesday, Andrey Podyelyshev, the Russian ambassador to
Nigeria, dismissed the reports and distanced the Kremlin from the alleged
recruitment programmes.
TheCable has reached out to the Russian embassy in Abuja for
comments on the fresh development.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com