Port Harcourt Travel Agency Accused Of Ties To Russian Army Recruitment, Firm Denies Allegations

A Port Harcourt-based travel agency, St. Fortunes Travels and Logistics, has been named in reports as a potential recruitment hub allegedly linked to the enlistment of Nigerians into the Russian army.

Founded in December 2022 and reportedly managed by Fortune Chimene Amaewhule, the firm was accused in an investigative report of advertising Russian military enlistment on social media and billboards, touting fast-tracked benefits such as citizenship and high salaries. The agency allegedly displayed both Nigerian and Russian contact numbers and ran campaigns targeting unemployed youths.

Russian Ambassador Denies Involvement

Responding to the claims, the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Andrey Podyolyshev, denied that Moscow had any government-backed program to recruit Nigerians for the Russia–Ukraine conflict. Speaking in Abuja, he said he was unaware of such recruitment activities and insisted that Russia was not involved.

“If anybody has this information, we are ready to forward it to Russian law enforcement authorities for investigation,” he stated.

Travel Agency Rejects Allegations

Amaewhule also refuted claims that his company recruited Nigerians as mercenaries. According to Punch, he admitted that St. Fortunes previously offered a Russia-related travel package but discontinued it after learning that some Nigerians were allegedly using legitimate work visas to enlist in the Russian army.

Recruiters reportedly tempted prospective enlistees with promises of citizenship, a $30,000 signing bonus, and weekly payments of around $3,000. “Because of that, we had to stop,” Amaewhule said, stressing that his company’s package was never linked to the Russian military.

“It was meant for teaching, primarily in Kazakhstan. The two countries have close ties, and there is high demand for English teachers there,” he explained. He added that, aside from Kazakhstan, the firm had never sent clients directly to Russia and that no one had been recruited before the package was halted.

Amaewhule recounted instances where clients sought his assistance to join the Russian military, all of which were declined. He shared a case involving a client who traveled to Kazakhstan through his firm and later inquired about military enlistment. “I told her we would never allow anyone to switch,” he said, noting that he appealed to her family to discourage her from enlisting.

He also learned more about the alleged recruitment network through another client whose relatives in Qatar had moved to Russia, which helped him understand how individuals were approached and the incentives offered.

Amaewhule acknowledged that some Nigerians who initially traveled to Kazakhstan on student or work visas later crossed into Russia to join the military, suggesting that this may have created the perception that his company was directly involved in recruitment.