Stranded Nigerian World Cup Fans Beg For Return Tickets

Nigerian World Cup fans who were promised lucrative employment in Russia got stranded and spent the night
near the Nigerian Embassy in Mamontovsky Lane, Moscow, in the hope that they’ll get help with their return tickets.

A few more foreigners also got stuck in airports without money, documents or return tickets, reports Crime Russia, an organisation that collates news about illegal activities in Russia.

According to the estimates of volunteers of the movement against slavery known as Alternativa, there are between 200 and 400 Nigerians facing hardship in this regard.

Representative of Alternativa, Oleg Melnikov told RBC that Nigerians began to complain about scammers two weeks ago.

The scammers had advised them to buy fan’s passport of the World Cup (Fan ID) for $300 and round-trip tickets, assuring the victims that they would be employed in Russia. 

However, in Moscow, things did not turn out as planned because there was no truth to the scammers’ claims.

According to Telegram-channel Mash, 23 Nigerian citizens stayed at Vnukovo airport for almost two weeks, as swindlers who gave them promises of employment, after they arrived in Moscow, took away their documents and money.

Ambassador of Nigeria in Russia, Steve Davis Ugbah, on his part, said that the diplomatic mission was not ready to “buy all tickets at once” and turned to the Russian authorities for help.