The Federal Government has said it will not tolerate the reported planned recruitment of Nigerians into the Ukrainian Army to fight as volunteers against Russia in the ongoing war between the two nations.
This followed reports that over 200 Nigerians have applied at the embassy of Ukraine in Abuja, where they were allegedly asked to pay $1,000 as visa charges and ticket to travel to Ukraine.
The government, in a statement issued yesterday by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fransica Omayuli, discouraged this development and vowed to stop it.
The statement read, “The attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria has been drawn to an alleged ongoing registration of Nigerian volunteers into the fighting force of Ukraine at the Ukrainian Embassy in Abuja.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the Embassy to verify the speculation. The Ukrainian Embassy refuted the allegation, but confirmed that a number of Nigerians had approached the Embassy indicating their willingness to fight on the side of Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.
“Furthermore, the Embassy clarified that the Ukrainian government is not admitting foreign volunteer fighters and as such dissociated itself from the claim that it is requesting $1,000 from each Nigerian volunteer for air ticket and visa.”
The statement said further that as a responsible member of the international community and consistent with her obligations under international law, Nigeria discourages the use of mercenaries anywhere in the world and will not tolerate the recruitment of Nigerians as mercenaries to fight in Ukraine or anywhere else in the world.
“The federal government will continue to engage with the Embassy of Ukraine in Nigeria and other relevant authorities to prevent this possibility,” it added.
Meanwhile, the United Nations refugee agency has said more than 1.7 million people have so far fled the war in Ukraine.
It said thousands of others are streaming across the borders.
A total of 1,735,068 civilians, mostly women and children, have crossed the border into Central Europe, the UNHCR said.
Poland has received more than one million Ukrainian refugees since the conflict began on February 24. The European Union could see as many as five million Ukrainian refugees if Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine continues, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said.
