Following a recent ruling by the Confederation of African Football regarding the alleged mistreatment of Nigeria’s Super Eagles football team in Libya, reports indicate that Nigerian workers in Libya are now facing mass arrests and fines.
The issue began when Nigeria’s national team was held for over 20 hours at Al-Abraq Airport in eastern Libya.
They were initially set to land in Benghazi for a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Libya. However, a last-minute directive forced their flight to land 150 miles away, causing significant delays. In response, the Nigeria Football Federation filed an official complaint to CAF, resulting in Nigeria being awarded three points for the abandoned match. The Libyan Football Federation was fined $50,000, a decision LFF President Nasser Al-Suwai’I called “unjust and malicious,” suggesting Nigeria’s influence within CAF influenced the outcome.
Following CAF’s ruling, Libyan media and social media have been vocal against Nigerians living in Libya. A popular Libyan blog, Libya News Today 1, urged authorities to arrest Nigerians working without legal papers, suggesting, “The fine that Libya is accused of will be paid by Nigerian citizens who live in Libya.”
Adenaike Emmanuel, a Nigerian living in Tripoli, confirmed to the PUNCH that arrests began almost immediately after CAF’s decision. “They have already started. In some places, people were arrested on Sunday morning and afternoon. Libyans believe they are getting their revenge by doing this,” he stated.
The President of the Nigerian community in Libya, Peter Omoregbie, confirmed the arrests in a video, saying, “They are arresting innocent people. They don’t even care whether you have passports or residence permits.”
Omoregbie clarified that the CAF ruling should not affect innocent Nigerians: “The football body is an association on its own, which the government isn’t supposed to interfere with according to CAF laws.” He expressed frustration over the arrests, saying, “In other countries, nothing like this happens… they are arresting Nigerians whether they have passports or not.”
The situation has left Nigerians in Libya fearful. Omo Oba Legba, a Nigerian in the country, shared his experience in a Facebook video, warning fellow Nigerians to stay indoors. “My Arab master, who is a policeman, just called me… they are arresting Nigerians in Libya. Until the CAF fine is overturned, they won’t stop.”
The head of Libya’s National Institution for Human Rights, Ahmed Hamza, has warned against actions targeting Nigerians. “We warn against any form of retaliation against foreign and migrant workers in Libya, especially Nigerian workers,” he stated. He cautioned that unlawful actions against foreigners could lead to repercussions in both domestic and international justice.
Former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, urged the Federal Government to investigate the retaliatory arrests. He suggested that if there is evidence of maltreatment, Nigeria could report Libya to the African Union. “If the atmosphere is too hot for them, they should leave Libya,” he advised Nigerians in the country.
