The Federal Government has said that it was yet to receive reports about the arrest and ill-treatment of Nigerians following the recent ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which awarded the Super Eagles three points and a fine of $50,000 against Libya following a botched 2025 AFCON qualifier.
The sanction against Libya was due to the ill-treatment the Nigerian Super Eagles suffered during the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifier in the North African country last month.
A report by a national daily on Sunday, titled “Libya’s Retaliation: Mass Arrests of Nigerians After CAF Verdict on Super Eagles Incident”, had claimed that, “in a shocking turn of events, the Nigerian community in Libya is facing a wave of mass arrests and fines following the recent ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).”
However, a statement issued on Sunday by the Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, said the report did not reflect the true situation of things, stressing that Nigerians in the North African country were going about their normal businesses.
Part of the statement read: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to convey that as of the time of making this statement, Nigerians in Libya are going about their daily activities, devoid of any form of harassment by Libyan authorities.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to reiterate that the wellbeing of Nigerian citizens anywhere in the world is a top priority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and will continue to strive to safeguard it at all times.”
Recall that the Super Eagles had a harrowing experience at the Al-Abraq Airport, where they were held for over 20 hours ahead of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya. The Nigerian team was diverted from Benghazi to Al-Abraq at the last minute, leading to the cancellation of the match and Nigeria’s withdrawal from the game.
CAF’s disciplinary committee found the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) guilty of breaching several regulations and slammed a fine, including awarding all three points and three goals to Nigeria.
Although the Nigerian authorities have denied knowledge of any attacks, harassment and arrest of Nigerians in Libya, there were reports of palpable ill-feelings in the country over the CAF verdict in favour of Nigeria.
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