{"id":3015,"date":"2024-11-03T09:06:33","date_gmt":"2024-11-03T09:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beadysword.com.ng\/blog\/?p=3015"},"modified":"2024-11-03T09:06:46","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T09:06:46","slug":"libya-starts-arresting-nigerian-nationals-following-caf-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beadysword.com.ng\/blog\/2024\/11\/03\/libya-starts-arresting-nigerian-nationals-following-caf-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"Libya Starts Arresting Nigerian Nationals Following CAF Ruling"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the wake of a controversial verdict from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), reports have emerged of widespread arrests targeting Nigeria nationals in Libya. This follows a formal complaint lodged by the Nigeria Football Federation regarding the mistreatment of the Super Eagles during their recent visit to the North African nation<\/p>\n

The Nigerian football team was held at the Al-Abraq Airport in eastern Libya for over 20 hours upon arrival for the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Super Eagles and Libya\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n

The contingent was scheduled to land at the Benghazi Airport and travel for nearly four hours by road to Benina, where the match was to be played.<\/p>\n

However, less than an hour before landing, the Tunisian pilot reportedly received a directive from Libyan authorities to divert the flight to the Al-Abraq Airport, located 150 miles from the destination.<\/p>\n

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The development sparked widespread outrage, forcing the NFF to withdraw the Super Eagles from the qualifying match and file an official complaint to the CAF.<\/p>\n

In its ruling on Saturday, October 26, signed by its Chairman, Ousmane Kane, the disciplinary committee of the African football body awarded the Super Eagles of Nigeria three points and three goals for the abandoned match.<\/p>\n

The disciplinary board ruled that the Libyan Football Federation breached Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.<\/p>\n

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The panel also ordered the LFF to pay a fine of $50,000 within 60 days of the notification of the decision.<\/p>\n

Displeased with the verdict, LFF President Nasser Al-Suwai\u2019I described it as \u201cunjust and malicious,\u201d alleging that the NFF\u2019s influence within CAF played a major role in the outcome.<\/p>\n

A report on Monday by a Libyan outlet, Libyan Observer, quoted Al-Suwai\u2019I saying the LFF would file an official appeal within hours and that if the appeal was denied, the body would resort to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to ensure \u201ctheir legitimate rights are secured.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campaign against Nigerians<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following the CAF ruling, a popular Libyan news blog, Libya News Today 1, posted on Sunday, stating, \u201cAll Libyan TV channels are urging the government to arrest the Nigerian workers who are working here in Libya without legal papers. They have to pay $500 plus taxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fine that Libya is accused of will be paid by Nigerian citizens who live in Libya. We have been subjected to injustice. We have no borders with Nigeria. What benefit are they to us? They\u2019re a burden on the Libyan people. They have to go back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blog has more than 188,000 followers on Facebook and 57,000 likes.<\/p>\n

The post was accompanied by a video of a Libyan TV presenter, who said, \u201cAnyone who is living in Libya and working without paying tax is eating\u00a0haram<\/em>, which means sinful money. The government should make every effort to arrest all Nigerians who are working in Libya so that they can pay a tax of $500 and regulate their stay in the country by obtaining residence permits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Libyan site, Libya INF.TV reported that Libyan stations wanted the government to start arresting Nigerian workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who don\u2019t have Libyan papers will have to pay a fine of $500 for taxes. If you refuse deportation, no mercy. The Libyan government will pay the Nigerian government from their citizens\u2019 money,\u201d the post said.<\/p>\n

Mass arrests<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Nigerian living in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, Adenaike Emmanuel, said the arrests began on Sunday after the CAF statement was released in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have already started. The news came out on Saturday, and they were saying they couldn\u2019t accept it and that they were not the ones who would pay the money. They have started proving this.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone 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\u2019t hide their feelings. They believe that by doing this, they are getting their revenge,\u201d Adenaike stated.<\/p>\n

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The President of the Nigerian community in Libya, Peter Omoregbie, also confirmed the arrests in a video shared by multiple Libya-based Nigerian blogs during the week.<\/p>\n

Omoregbie, who confirmed this while making an official report at the Libyan immigration office on Monday, said, \u201cThe arrests started on Sunday night in some areas in Tedora. They are arresting innocent people. They don\u2019t even care whether you have passports or residence permits. They just don\u2019t care, which doesn\u2019t happen in other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked to provide background to the incident, he said, \u201cThe football body is an association on its own, which the government isn\u2019t supposed to interfere with according to CAF laws. There was a football match scheduled between Nigeria and Libya on October 15. Nigeria was supposed to arrive in Benghazi, but they were diverted to another state, so the match could not take place. The Nigerian football team then returned home. Since then, CAF has investigated the issue and set up a committee to find out what happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday, the verdict was issued that Libya has to pay a fine of $50,000 to CAF due to the way they treated the Nigerian football team. Now, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs 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\u2019s hands are sometimes tied. But international bodies need to intervene in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two days after Omoregbie\u2019s report, another Nigerian in the country, Omo Oba Legba, said the arrests had intensified.<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0Facebook<\/em>\u00a0video posted on Wednesday, he said, \u201cMy 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, \u2018What about those with Libyan passports?\u2019 But he said they aren\u2019t considering passports and that anyone who is Nigerian will be arrested. That\u2019s why I decided to alert our people so they know how far this issue has gone.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Super Eagles had what they needed to and returned. They got their money, whether they won or not. But see the problem they\u2019ve caused for us. If Nigeria was good, we wouldn\u2019t have come to Libya to suffer. The Nigerian team only faced a day of hardship\u2014what about other Nigerians here who face the same treatment every day? My Arab told me that until the CAF fine is overturned, they won\u2019t stop arresting Nigerians. Please, we appeal to the Nigerian government to come to our aid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, Libya INF.TV posted a video on Thursday where a Nigerian pleaded with the Libyan police to stop the indiscriminate arrests.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cFootball 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\u2019t know what you\u2019re thinking, coming here to play football with the Libyan people. You don\u2019t have sense. Please, Libyan police, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Libyan rights institution warns security agents<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Institution for Human Rights in Libya, Ahmed Hamza, has warned against retaliatory acts targeting Nigerian workers in the country in the aftermath of the CAF ruling.<\/p>\n

According to Libya Review, Hamza noted that some media platforms were inciting hostility towards foreigners by portraying them as illegal or irregular residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe warn against any form of retaliation against foreign and migrant workers in Libya, especially Nigerian workers, by security forces, armed groups, or citizens,\u201d Hamza stated.<\/p>\n

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He cautioned that unlawful actions against foreigners could lead to repercussions in domestic and even international justice.<\/p>\n

When \u00a0<\/em>contacted the Libyan Embassy in Abuja for comments, a lady who identified herself simply as Rose said she was not authorised to talk.<\/p>\n

She said, \u201cAs you can see, I am not the media secretary. Whatever information you need, kindly put it into writing and send it to the embassy. Then, they will respond to it. Address the letter to the ambassador of the Libyan embassy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our correspondent wrote a letter of inquiry to the embassy as requested. However, 48 hours later, there was no response.<\/p>\n

A request for information from the Nigerian Embassy in Tripoli was also not replied to as of press time.<\/p>\n

When contacted, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Eche Abu-Obe, said, \u201cI have sent a message to the Director Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission had yet to respond to calls and a text message from\u00a0Sunday PUNCH<\/em> as of the time of filing this report.<\/p>\n

A former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said the Federal Government should investigate the retaliatory arrests and report Libya to the African Union.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThe Nigerian government doesn\u2019t have hardcore evidence, and if they do, they should report Libya to the African Union. If Nigerians collate evidence of the maltreatment, the Federal Government can protest directly to the Libyan government over what Nigerians are facing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amedu-Ode further advised Nigerians in the Arab country to keep low profiles until the situation was under control.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the atmosphere is too hot for them, they should leave Libya,\u201d he added<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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