Bankole Manchi, a 36-year-old Nigerian mechanic, says he left Lagos expecting a legitimate overseas job earning about ₦500,000 monthly. But when he arrived in Russia, he was handed over to unidentified men and taken to a military-style camp instead of a workplace. He met recruits from Nigeria, Ghana, France, Brazil, and China, many struggling with language barriers and relying on translation apps.
Training quickly escalated from drills to we@pons handling, grenade practice, and night operations. Inj¥red recruits were allegedly forced to continue despite pa+n. Manchi says they were later moved into Ukrainian territory, where heavy gunfire erupted immediately. He was sh%t in the leg and survived days with minimal food and water before receiving medical care. He described African recruits as “disposable f+ghters” in a w@r they never agreed to join.
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Similar stories have emerged from Uganda and Kenya. One Ugandan man said he and others were promised civilian jobs in supermarkets, airports, and security firms but were instead kept under armed guard in underground shelters with poor living conditions. He eventually escaped and surrendered to Ukrainian forces, who confirmed his identity.
Researcher Sholla Ard alleges a recruitment network targeting young Africans. Companies like ST3 Metal LLC reportedly issued short-term employment letters to help recruits get visas, only to coerce them into military service. Some recruits are still missing, while others may have died in combat. Travel routes allegedly included Juba, Nairobi, and Turkey, making the network harder to trace.
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Human rights groups are calling for urgent investigations by African governments, the UN, and international organisations. Russia and the company involved yet to respond.
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