Nigerian govt condemns Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles amid safety concerns

The Nigerian government has strongly condemned Libya’s hostile treatment of the Super Eagles, the country’s national football team after they were held hostage for hours at the airport.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission ( NiDCOM) in a post on her X Page maintained that the safety of the Nigerian delegation holed up in Libya is of paramount importance ahead of any other consideration.

“This is the most despicable behaviour by the Libyan authorities. Libya is not a safe place to travel anyhow, especially by road. Your safety is of utmost concern. I am optimistic that the Minister of Sports and the NFF are working round the clock to deal with this situation appropriately.” the NiDCOM boss wrote while replying to another post by the Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar also revealed that the Nigerian Mission in Tripoli has been closely monitoring the situation and maintaining contact with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Libyan authorities.

“I have been closely monitoring the situation involving the Super Eagles in Libya. Through the Head of the Nigerian Mission in Tripoli, Libya, Amb. Stephen Anthony Awuru, the Mission has maintained contact with the NFF and the Libyan authorities since last night,” Mr Tuggar stated in his post on X Monday morning.

Despite efforts, the Libyan authorities have not authorised the Nigerian Mission’s trip to Bayda City, where the airport and stadium are located. However, the Head of the Nigerian Community in Benghazi, Morris Eromosele, arrived at the location with the necessary supplies and internet access.

Nightmare

The Super Eagles’ ordeal began when their chartered ValueJet aircraft was diverted from Benghazi to the smaller Al Abraq International Airport, typically used for hajj operations.

The team was left stranded for over 12 hours, sparking concerns over their safety.

Captain Troost-Ekong expressed the team’s frustration, stating, “We have maintained a positive spirit, but these are unacceptable conditions. Travelling by road is not safe here, and we can only imagine how we would be treated in the hotel or the food they would try to give us. It was funny before, but as a team, we respect ourselves, and under these conditions, we won’t play.”

Ekong further highlighted the team’s concerns, citing unsafe road conditions, subpar accommodations, and food quality.

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He also revealed a disturbing incident where the Tunisian pilot was accepted at nearby hotels, but Nigerian aircrew members were not. “Even our pilot, who is Tunisian, wasn’t locked in like a hostage, came back hours later. He was told in every nearby hotel they would only accept him and none of the Nigerian aircrew members. Are we still talking about international football?” Ekong questioned.

The NFF had arranged separate vehicles for the team, but the aircraft diversion thwarted these plans. With players refusing to play under these conditions, NFF officials are considering flying the team back home.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is yet to make any official pronouncement on the ugly situation even though many expect a firm declaration from the continent’s football ruling body anytime soon.