Polytechnic Students Raise Alarm Over International Recruitment Scam Targeting Females

The Student Union Government of Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic in Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, has launched an awareness campaign to alert students, especially females, about a dangerous Russian recruitment scheme identified as the Alabuga Start Program. This program reportedly targets individuals on social media, offering enticing prospects of free travel to Europe, substantial salaries, and international employment opportunities, all without requiring prior qualifications or experience.

The application process purportedly involves playing a computer game and answering basic Russian vocabulary questions. However, the reality awaiting those who accept the offer starkly contrasts with the advertised benefits.

Numerous young women who have participated in the Alabuga Start Program have returned with distressing accounts. Instead of the promised training and hospitality roles, they found themselves employed in a drone manufacturing facility located in Tatarstan, Russia, producing armaments used in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

John Orimisan, the Public Relations Officer for the student union, addressed the issue during a protest, emphasizing the program's direct threat to the institution's students. He stated, “This is not a program that is far away from us, it is actively targeting our students, our sisters, our friends. We cannot fold our arms and watch young women walk into a trap dressed as opportunity.”

Orimisan further characterized the scheme as a "21st-century human trafficking scheme," adding, “What they are calling a work-study programme is nothing but a 21st century human trafficking scheme. They use the language of empowerment to lure young women into a situation where they have no control, no protection, and no easy way out.”

The student union's efforts extend beyond campus announcements, with members actively engaging students in lecture halls and hostels to educate them about the perils of the Alabuga Start Program.

“We want every female student on this campus to hear this clearly, do not apply, do not share your details, and if anyone approaches you with this offer, report it immediately,” Orimisan urged. He also called on male students to be vigilant and question any foreign job offers their female relatives or friends receive, stating, “For the male students, when you see your sisters excited about a foreign job offer they found online, ask questions. Knowledge is the only thing that can break the power of this kind of deception.”

He concluded by stressing the unacceptability of such opportunities: “No opportunity worth having requires you to disappear into a foreign country to build weapons for a war that is not yours. We will keep talking, keep sensitizing, and keep protecting our people.”

The Alabuga Start Program has faced widespread condemnation from human rights organisations and international observers, who note its pattern of targeting young women from disadvantaged backgrounds across various African nations, including Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, as well as Sri Lanka.

At Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, the awareness campaign has extended beyond the campus. Comrade Joseph Daniel, a member of the Student Union Government, recently appeared on a local radio station to detail the dangers of the fraudulent recruitment scam and advise young people on protective measures.