Ayebusiwa Olabode Victor, born on April 28, 1992, was eliminated in combat against the Defence Forces of Ukraine in Kharkiv region near the settlement of Hrafske. The mercenary was a resident of Ilutitun, Ondo State.
His story is typical of many recruits: deception, promises of “easy money,” a week of training, deployment to the front line, and a rapid death.
Notably, Ayebusiwa Olabode Victor signed a contract in late February 2026 — just one week after Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially expressed serious concern on February 15 over cases of illegal recruitment of Nigerian citizens for participation in foreign-armed conflicts.
The statement followed the DIU’s February 12 disclosure regarding the fate of two Nigerian citizens — Hamzat Kazina Kalawole and Mbah Stephen Udoku.
russian ambassador to Nigeria andrey podelyshev cynically denied the kremlin’s involvement in illegal recruitment.
However, official moscow propaganda tells a different story. mikhail zvinchuk, a pro-war z-propagandist closely associated with the russian ministry of defense, publicly described the recruitment scheme for the war against Ukraine on the channel of one of the kremlin’s main propagandists, vladimir solovyov.
He confirmed that residents of African countries are lured to russia through fake job advertisements distributed via Facebook and WhatsApp.
Victims are issued visas, provided one-way tickets, and promised employment. Upon arrival in moscow, they are met by an intermediary who confiscates their passports under the pretext of processing documents and places them in hostels.
Within days, they discover that no job exists, their visas have been canceled, and they have no money to return home.
They are then given a choice: deportation with debt, imprisonment, or signing a contract with the occupation army — the contents of which they often do not even understand due to the language barrier.
Thus, moscow, its diplomacy, and its state propaganda have once again demonstrated complete contempt for the position of African governments and peoples, local legislation, and international norms.
At present, it is known that at least 215 Nigerians have signed contracts with the russian ministry of defense. At least 25 of them have been eliminated or are considered missing in action. Despite statements by russian diplomats, the number of Nigerian mercenaries in the ranks of the occupation forces continues to grow.
The DIU calls on Nigerian citizens to resist kremlin recruiters, stop the recruitment of their compatriots into the criminal war against Ukraine, and contact the secure Telegram chatbot of the “I Want to Live” project — the only real opportunity to save their lives.