Port Harcourt Travel Firm Denies Russian Army Recruitment Links

St. Fortun Travel Logistics, a travel agency based in Port Harcourt and established in December 2022, has been identified as a recruitment hub allegedly linked to the enlistment of Nigerians into the Russian army.

The agency's operator, Fortun Chimen Amaewhul, has been accused in an investigative report of advertising Russian army enlistment through social media and billboards, promising benefits such as citizenship and high salaries. The Russian ambassador to Nigeria has denied that Moscow runs any government-backed recruitment program for Nigerians in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Amaewhul has denied that his company recruits Nigerians to fight as mercenaries, acknowledging that the firm previously handled travel packages related to Russia but has since discontinued them. He stated that the agency received credible information about Nigerians allegedly switching to legitimate work visas upon arrival in Russia.

The recruitment incentives reportedly included a $30,000 signing bonus and weekly payments of $3,000. Amaewhul emphasized that the agency's packages were not connected to the Russian military and that they had suspended recruitment activities.