Kehinde Fajobi
Following the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) ruling against Libya’s treatment of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Nigerian nationals in Libya report widespread arrests and fines targeting their community.
The Super Eagles, held at Al-Abraq Airport in Libya for over 20 hours during the recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, had been diverted from Benghazi Airport by Libyan authorities shortly before landing.
This forced Nigeria to withdraw from the match, leading to an official CAF complaint. On 26 October, CAF awarded Nigeria three points for the forfeited match and imposed a $50,000 fine on the Libyan Football Federation (LFF).
Unhappy with the decision, LFF President Nasser Al-Suwai’I called the ruling “unjust and malicious,” alleging undue influence by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) within CAF and vowing to appeal.
In response to the ruling, tensions in Libya rose as local media channels and blogs called for punitive measures against Nigerians in Libya.
A popular news blog, Libya News Today 1, stated, “All Libyan TV channels are urging the government to arrest the Nigerian workers…they have to pay $500 plus taxes.”
Another site, Libya INF.TV, reported calls for arrests and fines, declaring, “If you refuse deportation, no mercy.”
Reports of arrests began almost immediately.
A Nigerian in Tripoli, Adenaike Emmanuel, told Sunday PUNCH, “They have already started… they are saying they won’t pay the fine and have started arresting people in areas across Tripoli.”
Emmanuel added, “Libyans don’t hide their feelings. They believe that by doing this, they are getting their revenge.”
The President of the Nigerian community in Libya, Peter Omoregbie, confirmed the arrests in a video.
“They are arresting innocent people. They don’t even care whether you have passports or residence permits,” Omoregbie said, expressing frustration with the perceived retaliatory crackdown.
Another Nigerian, Omo Oba Legba, warned in a Facebook video that the arrests were intensifying. “My Arab master, who is a policeman, told me not to go out because they have started arresting Nigerians in Libya…If Nigeria was good, we wouldn’t have come to Libya to suffer.”
A video posted on Libya INF.TV showed a Nigerian man pleading with Libyan authorities to separate the actions of the Nigerian football team from the lives of ordinary Nigerians in Libya, stating, “Football has nothing to do with us.”
Meanwhile, Ahmed Hamza, chairman of Libya’s National Institution for Human Rights, cautioned authorities against retaliation, urging them to avoid targeting migrant workers.
“We warn against any form of retaliation against foreign and migrant workers in Libya, especially Nigerian workers, by security forces, armed groups, or citizens,” Hamza stated.
Efforts to reach the Libyan Embassy in Abuja for comments went unanswered, and similar attempts with the Nigerian Embassy in Tripoli and Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have yet to yield responses.
A former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, called for a Federal Government investigation, suggesting that Nigeria take up the matter with the African Union.
He advised Nigerians in Libya to “keep low profiles” until tensions subside.