Scores of Nigerians stranded in Russia following cancellation of return tickets
Scores of Nigerians have been left stranded and penniless at the airport after fraudsters tricked them by selling football World Cup fan passes to travel to Russia, AFP reports.
The plastic-coated passes issued by the Russian government enable foreign fans to enter the country without a visa during the World Cup – but they expire before the end of July.
Other Nigerians, however, found themselves stranded in Russia after fraudulent “agents” who booked return flights for them then cancelled the bookings to get a refund.
It was gathered that some Nigerians used the official Fan IDs to enter Russia with the aim of finding work or even playing professional football after the tournament.
Others said they were there to watch World Cup matches but got stranded when their return plane tickets were cancelled by bogus travel agencies that booked them.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing that the issue of stranded fans was “not desirable but it’s also natural”.
“It’s really a problem that primarily the fans themselves should resolve along with diplomatic and consular missions of their countries,” she said.
Siluyanova told AFP on Thursday that the authorities in cooperation with Alternativa had made arrangements for about 20 stranded Nigerians to be flown back home.
