KEY POINTS
- Nigerian workers in Libya risk arrest after Libya Football Federation is penalized by CAF.
- Libyan media wants crackdown on undocumented Nigerian workers.
- Nigerian workers plead for protection as tensions rise over fear of arrest, deportation.
Tensions are mounting in Libya after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Board upheld a two year ban against the Libya Football Federation (LFF).
Nigerian workers in the country are now at risk of imminent arrest and deportation. CAF issued a $50,000 fine to the LFF and awarded Nigeria the AFCON qualifier, following the delay the Super Eagles faced at Al Abraq Airport before the AFCON 2025 match.
But in response, several Libyan media outlets have been highly critical of the undocumented Nigerian workers, and have called for punitive measures.
A post published Sunday on the blog Libya News Today 1 called on the arrest of Nigerian workers without proper documentation, with punishment including financial penalties and further taxes for those without residence permits.
Libya INF.TV backed these sentiments as it proposed deducting fines from the earnings of Nigerians who don’t have papers.
Escalating tensions
Next to all of this simmering tension, a Nigerian worker named Omo Oba Legba posted a video on Facebook to warn his countrymen.
He said: ‘My Arab master is a policeman and he just rang me now and told me not to come out to buy anything, that they’ve been arresting Nigerians in Libya.’ The crackdown was indiscriminate, including people holding Libyan passports, Legba said.
According to Vanguard, a Nigerian man also pleaded with Libyan authorities Thursday, telling them on Libya INF.TV “Football has nothing to do with us…Please, Libyan police, leave us out of this,” he wrote. Nigerian workers echoed his plea, stating they feel unfairly caught in the aftermath of the CAF ruling.
Growing concerns
That is just as the situation has raised some concerns among the Nigerian community in Libya, fearing arrest and deportation. Many Nigerians in Libya work without documentation, though some are documented. Growing calls for crackdowns could trigger a humanitarian crisis if authorities fail to defuse tensions.
Therefore, Nigerian authorities plan to take steps to allay the fears of their citizens in Libya, while CAF’s decision fuels controversy as the crackdown continues.
