Members of the Nigerian community have reported mass arrests and fines imposed on them in Libya.
This follows the verdict delivered by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in response to a complaint lodged by the Nigeria Football Federation regarding the recent inhumane treatment of the Super Eagles in Libya.
Recall that the Nigerian men’s national team was detained at the Al-Abraq Airport for over 20 hours, after they arrived for the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Mediterannean Knights.
In a ruling on October 26, CAF’s disciplinary committee awarded the Super Eagles three points and three goals for the abandoned game.
The panel also ordered the LFF to pay a fine of $50,000 within 60 days of the notification of the decision.
Displeased with the verdict, the LFF President Nasser Al-Suwai’I described it as “unjust and malicious,” alleging that the NFF’s influence within CAF played a major role in the outcome.
The President of the Nigerian community in Libya, Peter Omoregbie, in a statement during the week said: “The arrests started on Sunday night in some areas in Tedora. They are arresting innocent people. They don’t even care whether you have passports or residence permits. They just don’t care, which doesn’t happen in other countries.
On social media, Libyan journalists and numerous bloggers are saying that Nigeria will be made to pay the $50,000 fine by arresting all Nigerians in Libya. But in other countries, nothing like that happens.
As the community leader, I received some videos showing that the arrests started last night in the Tedora area. They said the Libyan police have started arresting Nigerians, whether they have passports or not.
Some of us are already afraid, calling everywhere to ask what to do. Sometimes, as community leaders, we are helpless. Even the Nigerian Embassy’s hands are sometimes tied. But international bodies need to intervene in this situation.”
