Libyan media pressures govt to arrest, deport ‘illegal’ Nigerians after CAF ruling
Nigerians living in Libya without legal documents face risk of arrest and deportation after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Board awarded a walk over win for Nigeria against Libya and were also slammed with a $50,000 fine.
The decision comes after the Super Eagles faced prolonged detainment at Al Abraq Airport which caused them to delay their AFCON 2025 qualifying match.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that the issue arose as a result of LFF’s failure to meet security and logistical obligations.
In light of automatically losing three points, Libyan media and major platforms have beckoned on the Libyan government to arrest and deport undocumented Nigerian workers.
Libya News Today 1 blog on Sunday in a publication advocated for the arrest of Nigerian workers without proper documentation, they further proposed a $500 fine and additional taxes from those without residence permits.
A Nigerian worker simply known as Omo Oba Legba living Libya in a Facebook post on Wednesday said the situation has gotten out of hand and is sending a warning to Nigerians.
“My Arab master, who is a policeman, just called me now and told me not to go out to buy anything because they have started arresting Nigerians in Libya. I asked him, ‘What about those with Libyan passports?’ But he said they aren’t considering passports and that anyone who is Nigerian will be arrested. That’s why I decided to alert our people so they know how far this issue has gone”, he expressed.
Another Libyan media, Libya INF.TV who also supported the arrest of undocumented Nigerians and suggested that fines should be deducted from their earnings shared a video on Thursday in which a Nigerian man was heard pleading with Libyan authorities.
He said, “Football has nothing to do with us. If you want to catch them, catch them when they come here. Leave us out of this. And to the Nigerian team, I don’t know what you’re thinking, coming here to play football with the Libyan people. You don’t have sense. Please, Libyan police, please”.
