Nigeria condemned the Libyan authorities for the use of “unrestrained force” against protesters, and demanded an immediate end to the violence, local media said Thursday.
Nigeria also joined governments around the world on Wednesday in sending planes and ships to evacuate their citizens from the turmoil in Libya, whose leader, Moammar Qadhafi, has vowed to crush a revolt against his 41-year rule.
“We are not happy about the violence and the unrestrained nature of the violence with the civilian population. We are monitoring the situation from the perspective of our own citizens,” foreign affairs minister Odein Ajumogobia said.
“The president has directed that we take steps to evacuate those citizens who are trapped in Libya and a number of them – I think about 500 or so – have come to our knowledge and our embassy is taking inventory,” he said.
US President Barack Obama also slammed the use of “outrageous” force against protesters, and said his country is considering a “range of options” on Libya.
A special session of the UN Human Rights Council is also set to take place on Friday to discuss the use of extreme force against peaceful protesters.
The head of Italian oil major Eni’s Paulo Scaroni said Thursday he believes Libyan oil production has fallen by about 75% or 1.2 million b/d due to ongoing upheaval.