In a significant ruling on Saturday, October 26, the disciplinary committee of CAF the African football body, chaired by Ousmane Kane, awarded Nigeria’s Super Eagles three points and three goals for an abandoned match against Libya.
This decision comes in response to a complaint lodged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) regarding the treatment of the Nigerian team during their recent visit for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
The committee determined that the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) violated Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
In addition to the points and goals awarded to Nigeria, the LFF has been fined $50,000, which must be paid within 60 days of receiving the notification.
The ruling arrives amidst escalating tensions for Nigerians living in Libya, who are now facing the threat of mass arrests and heavy fines related to their residency status.
This troubling development appears linked to the recent CAF verdict, which has drawn attention to the maltreatment of the Super Eagles during their detention at Al-Abraq Airport for over 18 hours upon their arrival for the match against Libya.
In the wake of the ruling, Nasser Al-Suwai’I, the President of the LFF, characterized the decision as “unjust and malicious,” suggesting that the NFF’s influence within CAF heavily swayed the outcome in favor of Nigeria.
Following the CAF decision, Libya News Today 1, a prominent Libyan news blog with over 188,000 Facebook followers, reported on Sunday that “All 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. The 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’re a burden on the Libyan people. They have to go back home.”
This post was accompanied by a video featuring a Libyan TV presenter asserting, “Anyone who is living in Libya and working without paying tax is eating haram, 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.”
Another Libyan outlet, Libya INF.TV, echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Those who don’t 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’ money.”
As reports of escalating arrests of Nigerians in Libya emerged, Omo Oba Legba, a Nigerian residing in the country, shared a video on Facebook on Wednesday, saying, “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.”
He added, “The Super Eagles had what they needed to and returned. They got their money, whether they won or not. But see the problem they’ve caused for us. If Nigeria was good, we wouldn’t have come to Libya to suffer.
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The Nigerian team only faced a day of hardship—what about other Nigerians here who face the same treatment every day? My Arab told me that until the CAF fine is overturned, they won’t stop arresting Nigerians. Please, we appeal to the Nigerian government to come to our aid.”
A video shared by Libya INF.TV featured another Nigerian pleading with Libyan authorities to cease the indiscriminate arrests, stating, “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.”
In contrast to these reports, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued by Spokesman Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, claimed that the situation for Nigerians in Libya is stable.
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, following the verdict of the Confederation of African Football which indicted the Libyan Football Association for their ill-treatment of the Nigerian team and officials while in Libya for a Nations Cup Qualifying Match.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to reiterate that the well-being 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.”
