{"id":908123,"date":"2026-05-25T10:13:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T15:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/rilwanu-sarki-ex-nigeria-u-20-forward-arrested-at-abuja-airport-report\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T10:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T15:13:28","slug":"rilwanu-sarki-ex-nigeria-u-20-forward-arrested-at-abuja-airport-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/rilwanu-sarki-ex-nigeria-u-20-forward-arrested-at-abuja-airport-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Rilwanu Sarki: Ex-Nigeria U-20 forward arrested at Abuja airport \u2013 Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img width=\"750\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Soccer Rilwanu Sarki: Ex-Nigeria U-20 forward arrested at Abuja airport \u2013 Report\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/blQzQh94ZkBQkLJw2zOdpOIwKOM=\/750x500\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F05%2Fimago1024802154.jpg\" srcset data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\"><\/p>\n<p>Rilwanu Sarki for Nigeria Flying Eagles. Copyright: Imagoxolayinkaxluqmanxoniyox<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Former Flying Eagles winger Rilwanu Sarki has reportedly been arrested by the Nigerian police in Abuja.<\/p>\n<p>\u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\">Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports that the 22-year-old Nigerian winger currently plays for United Arab Emirates (UAE) giants Al Ain. He is coming off a successful season that saw his club crowned as the UAE Pro League champions and UAE President&#8217;s Cup winners. <\/p>\n<p>Sarki, who joined the club in 2023, played a peripheral role, featuring in just eight games all season. Nonetheless, he still walked away with two winners&#8217; medals.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4096\" height=\"2730\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/AwMeAd7v0xUz9onKvlbWEhxCvy4=\/4096x2730\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F05%2FHJJo4liacAA9sx_.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Al Ain celebrate title win in UAE\"><figcaption>Al Ain celebrate title win in UAE. (Photo credit: Al Ain\/ X)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u200bTypically, when Nigerian players finish their campaigns with their foreign clubs, they return home to spend the off-season holidays with family. Sarki followed suit, but his return to Nigeria took a sharp turn for the worse when he was reportedly arrested upon arrival at the airport in Abuja.<\/p>\n<h2>Soccer \u200bRilwanu Sarki: Why Was the Former Flying Eagles Player Arrested?<\/h2>\n<p>\u200bSarki was returning home for his post-season holiday when he was reportedly met by a joint team from the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Immigration Service at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.<\/p>\n<p>\u200bAccording to Oga Nla Media, Sarki was arrested due to his failure to honor several police invitations related to a criminal investigation from over a year ago. However, the specific details of the case in question have not yet been revealed.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING!!!<\/p>\n<p>Rilwanu Haliru Sarki arrested by Nigerian Police<\/p>\n<p>News of the arrest of Rilwanu Haliru Sarki may come as a surprise to many football fans. <\/p>\n<p>Rilwanu Haliru Sarki, a professional footballer with Al Ain Football Club in the UAE and a former Nigeria U-20 winger, was\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9wFxoo3YVG\">pic.twitter.com\/9wFxoo3YVG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Adepoju Tobi Samuel \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddec (@OgaNlaMedia) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OgaNlaMedia\/status\/2058794631819563384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u200bReports suggest that efforts are underway to secure his release from custody, with calls being made to several high-ranking officials within both the police and immigration services.<\/p>\n<p>\u200bAs of press time, neither the Nigeria Police Force nor the Nigeria Immigration Service has released an official statement on the matter, and Soccernet.ng&#8217;s efforts to reach them has been unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"967\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/IO-79tl6ZzGp6FDSjkMM_pwCqIA=\/1600x967\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F05%2FWhatsApp-Image-2026-05-25-at-10.46.34.jpeg\" alt=\"Soccer Rilwanu Sarki with Flying Eagles squad\"><figcaption>Rilwanu Sarki for Nigeria U-20. (Photo credit: IMAGOx Sebastian Frej)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u200bSarki was<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/rilwanu-sarki\/nationalmannschaft\/spieler\/1015617\/verein_id\/22981\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> a member of Nigeria&#8217;s under-20 team, the Flying Eagles, from 2022 to 2023<\/a>. He played a prominent role in the 2023 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, helping Nigeria to a third-place finish. He also featured in four games during the 2023 Under-20 World Cup, contributing to the Flying Eagles&#8217; run to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img alt=\"<!-- Author Start -->Kelvin Omachonu<!-- Author End -->&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/CrQss8SLQeA2L0Hdp5nftoJIwrU=\/150&#215;150\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2024%2F06%2FIMG-20240522-WA0001.jpg&#8221;  height=&#8221;80&#8243; width=&#8221;80&#8243;>\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/author\/kelvin\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu is a professional football columnist and sports writer with over half a decade of experience covering major events and delivering captivating, analytically-driven stories.<br \/>\nA graduate of the University of Ibadan, he is fueled by a profound dedication to sports journalism and the beautiful game. His insights have previously been featured in respected outlets, including IndyPress UI, UCJ UI Newshive NG, Sportpremi, and a few others.<br \/>\nAway from work, Kelvin is an avid fan of basketball, enjoys a great movie, and is always discovering new music.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2026\/05\/rilwanu-sarki-nigeria-flying-eagles-abuja.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Kelvin Omachonu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Rilwanu Sarki for Nigeria Flying Eagles. Copyright: Imagoxolayinkaxluqmanxoniyox Former Flying Eagles winger Rilwanu Sarki has reportedly been arrested by the Nigerian police in Abuja. \u200bSoccernet.ng reports that the 22-year-old Nigerian winger currently plays for United Arab Emirates (UAE) giants Al Ain. He is coming off a successful season that saw his club crowned as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":908124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[149718,149719,2005],"tags":[149716,149717],"class_list":{"0":"post-908123","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rilwanu","8":"category-sarki","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-rilwanu","11":"tag-sarki"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/908124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}