The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has confirmed that some of the broadcasters who were kidnapped in Nigeria have been freed, but tragically, one crew member has been confirmed dead, while two others remain missing.
Reports indicate that the crew, which included freelancers who also worked for South African broadcaster SuperSport, were kidnapped while traveling from Lagos to Uyo to cover the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Nigeria and Libya.
According to reports, none of the kidnapped crew were from South Africa. Nigerian football journalist Colin Udoh shared on social media platform X that a former colleague from SuperSport was among those killed during the kidnapping.
“TRAGEDY: A journalist, one of my former SuperSport colleagues, was killed yesterday when members of the production crew for Friday’s game against Libya were kidnapped on their way to Uyo. Some of the crew have been freed, while at least two others are still unaccounted for,” Udoh posted.
Udoh revealed that the driver of the vehicle had taken a shortcut through a known high-risk area to save fuel, leading to the incident.
SWAN later reported that six members of the crew were rescued following a joint operation by the Nigerian police and army.
“We want to inform our members across Nigeria and beyond that some of the sports journalists who were earlier kidnapped on their way to cover the first leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Super Eagles and Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Uyo, have been released,” SWAN said in a statement.
SWAN commended the swift action of security forces, noting that the freed journalists, mainly camera operators and photojournalists, are now either reuniting with their families or continuing their official duties. Efforts to secure the release of the remaining two individuals are ongoing.