A Nigerian journalist has been killed, and several others abducted while travelling to cover the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Libya’s Mediterranean Knights.
The tragic incident was reported by renowned football journalist and former Super Eagles Media Officer, Colin Udoh, on his X (formerly Twitter) page. The slain journalist was a former SuperSport colleague of Udoh and part of the match production crew.
According to Udoh, the crew had taken a shortcut through a known danger zone to conserve fuel, leading them into the hands of kidnappers. Some crew members have since been released, but at least two remain missing.
In a related development, Punch Newspaper reported that the six sports journalists were rescued by police after being abducted by suspected criminals along the Isseke-Orlu Road in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Anambra State Police Command spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the rescue, stating that joint security forces successfully freed six journalists, while efforts are ongoing to locate the last missing crew member.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) have yet to issue a formal statement on the tragic events. Meanwhile, the highly anticipated AFCON qualifying match between Nigeria and Libya is set to take place on Friday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
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Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
