Nigerians residing in Libya have reportedly been targets of widespread arrests after a controversial verdict from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
This follows a formal complaint lodged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) regarding the mistreatment of the Super Eagles during their recent visit to the North African nation.
It would be recalled how the Super Eagles of Nigeria flight was redirected and they were delayed for over 18 hours of delays after a trip for return leg of the 1-0 match in favour of Nigeria in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
As a result, CAF cancelled the match, awarding three goals and three points to the Super Eagles while slamming a $50,000 fine on the Libyans.
Following this, Libyan media took to the airwaves to call for the arrest of Nigerians residing in the country without proper documentation, suggesting that fines imposed on the LFF would now be shifted onto the Nigerian populace.
Social media outlets have echoed this sentiment, with posts alleging that Nigerian workers are a drain on Libyan resources.
A local blog, Libya News Today 1, issued a statement urging the government to apprehend undocumented Nigerian workers, asserting that they should be fined $500 and taxed appropriately.
Punch quoted a Nigerian living in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, Adenaike Emmanuel, as saying the arrests had began.
“They have already started. The news came out on Saturday, and they were saying they can’t accept it and that they are not the ones who will pay the money. They have started proving this.
“Someone called me and said they had already begun arresting people in his area. The same thing is happening here in Tripoli. In some places, people were arrested on Sunday morning and afternoon. As I mentioned before, Libyans don’t hide their feelings. They believe that by doing this, they are getting their revenge,” Adenaike stated.
On Sunday, the Libyan blog Libya News Today 1 published a post advocating for the arrest of Nigerian workers without proper documentation, proposing a $500 fine and additional taxes from those without residence permits.
Another Libyan media outlet, Libya INF.TV, echoed these sentiments, also urging the arrest of undocumented Nigerians and suggesting that fines should be deducted from their earnings.
Amid the growing tension, Nigerian worker who goes by the name Omo Oba Legba described an escalation of the situation.
In a Facebook video on Wednesday, he stated, “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.”
The crackdown continued to draw reactions, with Libya INF.TV sharing a video on Thursday in which a Nigerian man pleaded with Libyan authorities, “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.”
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