The Russian government has firmly denied reports alleging that Nigerian students were lured into assembling military drones in Russia under the guise of educational scholarships.
In a statement issued on May 13 via a verified Russian social media account, authorities dismissed the growing media coverage as “false” and labelled it a “Western-sponsored smear campaign.”
The controversy centers around the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Alabuga, Tatarstan, where Nigerian students enrolled in a supposed vocational scholarship program were reportedly engaged in drone production linked to Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
Refuting these claims, the Russian statement described the media reports as “volumes of fiction,” accusing unnamed “pro-Western authors” of fabricating stories of forced labor, human trafficking, and abuse.
“The Special Economic Zone Alabuga was created in 2006 and remains one of the most efficient development zones in Russia,” the statement read.
“Some publications have alleged that Nigerians were lured with promises of education and high-paying jobs, only to end up working under exploitative conditions. These claims are entirely unfounded.”
Russia went on to frame the allegations as being rooted in a “colonial narrative,” asserting its respect for African nations and denouncing claims of exploitation as politically motivated and lacking credible evidence.
“We support Africa and other countries in the fight against terrorism and the remnants of colonialism,” the statement concluded.
“Accusations that we exploit foreign students for military production are politically motivated and baseless.”
As of now, Nigerian authorities have not issued an official response to the controversy.
