By Jimisayo Opanuga
12 June 2024 | 7:38 pm
The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied allegations that Russia is forcing African students, particularly Nigerians, to participate in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in exchange for visa extensions. Russia’s denial comes after a Bloomberg report on Monday claimed that Russia sought to recruit thousands of migrants and foreign students to bolster its troops, employing…
Russian President and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin meets with the media at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on March 18, 2024. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / POOL / AFP)
The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied allegations that Russia is forcing African students, particularly Nigerians, to participate in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in exchange for visa extensions.
Russia’s denial comes after a Bloomberg report on Monday claimed that Russia sought to recruit thousands of migrants and foreign students to bolster its troops, employing tactics similar to those of the Wagner mercenary group.
European officials claimed that the Kremlin was threatening to withhold visa extensions from African students and young workers unless they agreed to join the military effort.
The Russian Embassy, however, dismissed these reports as “fake news” and “entirely unfounded,” stressing the potential harm such misinformation could cause to educational cooperation between Russia and Nigeria.
The embassy stated that no associations of Nigerian students in Russia have confirmed these claims, adding that Nigerian students reportedly face no difficulties in extending their visas while pursuing their studies in Russia.
“The Embassy of the Russian Federation is compelled to emphasise that such news is not only false but also damages Russian-Nigerian educational cooperation by misleading numerous scholarship and grant applicants as well as their partners, who could be extremely concerned by such fakes,” the Russian Embassy said.
“The Embassy states that Nigerian students face no difficulties in extending their visas while continuing their studies in Russia. Numerous associations of Nigerian students in Russia have not reported any issues in obtaining the necessary documentation to continue their stay in the country.
“The Embassy welcomes the official press release of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter and expresses gratitude to the Ministry and the Association of Nigerian Students in Moscow for their efforts in debunking the fake news aimed at undermining the friendship and cooperation between Russia and Nigeria.”
NOW
The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied allegations that Russia is forcing African students, particularly Nigerians, to participate in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in exchange for visa extensions. Russia’s denial comes after a Bloomberg report on Monday claimed that Russia sought to recruit thousands of migrants and foreign students to bolster its troops, employing…
46 mins ago
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), on Wednesday, announced the destruction of two of its electricity towers along the Damaturu -Maiduguri 330kV Single Circuit Transmission Line by vandals. TCN, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Ndidi Mbah, said that the towers destroyed were T193 and T194. The incident, TCN believes happened at around 10:15…
1 hour ago
The headquarters of the protest in Nigeria, Ojota, Lagos State was avoided by the June 12 protesters on Wednesday. The protesters had earlier converged at Ikeja under the bridge before moving to Allen with the aim to end the protest in Ojota. After hours of waiting, The Guardian reached out to one of the leaders…
2 hours ago
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged Organised Labour to settle for a national minimum wage that will not undermine the national economy and lead to mass retrenchment of workers. Idris made the appeal at the 2024 Synod of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in Abuja. The minister noted that there…
2 hours ago
A suspected ritualist, Yusuf Adinohi, was arrested on Tuesday by operatives of the Ondo State Police Command for allegedly being in possession of eight skulls as well as other fetish items. The 37-year-old suspect was apprehended at Isua-Akoko, headquarters of the Akoko South East Local Council area of Ondo State, while on transit through the…
3 hours ago
The Nigeria Police said it has dismantled a cartel dealing in jewelry worth billions of Naira obtained from armed robbery operations in Abuja and its environs. Police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, disclosed that on April 28, 2024, an armed robbery incident occurred at the residence of a police officer, attached to the Force…
3 hours ago
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Lamuwa, has denied allegations of sexual harassment made by Simisola Fajemirokun-Ajayi, a staff member of the ministry. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, had on May 27, 2024, written to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, to probe the allegation.…
3 hours ago
Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) mocked Atiku Abubakar by circulating a picture of him falling during a past presidential campaign launch in retaliation for his sympathy towards President Bola Tinubu’s recent fall. This development comes after President Bola Tinubu stumbled while boarding a vehicle at Eagle Square during Democracy Day celebrations, and Atiku…
4 hours ago
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has rejected an application submitted by the detained leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, asking for permission to challenge the order proscribing the group. The Court of Appeal in a ruling had upheld the argument by lawyer to the federal government, Oyin Koleosho, that the…
4 hours ago
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, said the Nigerian democracy is in recession because it does not reflect the cultural experiences of a diverse nation. Kukah stated this on Wednesday at The Platform Nigeria, a programme by the Lagos-based church, Covenant Nation, to mark the 2024 Democracy Day. The cleric stated that, unlike…
