PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES
The Federal Government has summoned Libya’s Chargé d’Affaires in Abuja for emergency talks to resolve the Super Eagles’ ordeal, which left them stranded in Libya for over 12 hours.
The team arrived in the North African country for the return leg of the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifiers after beating the Mediterranean Knights of Libya 1-0 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, last Friday.
“We have summoned the Libyan chargé d’affaires,” Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday.
Tuggar said the Super Eagles were redirected to an airport without aviation fuel, leaving them stranded.
According to Persecondnews, the Nigerian national men’s team experienced a distressing ordeal upon their arrival in Libya for the match on Sunday.
The team’s flight, initially bound for Benghazi, was unexpectedly diverted to Al Abraq International Airport, a remote location typically used for religious pilgrimages.
Upon landing, the players and staff were left stranded for over 12 hours at the airport without food, water, or transportation, the team’s captain, William Troost-Ekong, revealed on his X handle.
Troost-Ekong said the Libyan authorities failed to assist, leaving the team frustrated and fatigued.
The captain described the conditions as intolerable, stating that the team was essentially held “hostage” under unsafe and inhuman conditions.
In response to the ordeal, the Super Eagles decided to boycott the AFCON qualifier, with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) supporting their decision.
The NFF also began making arrangements to return the team to Nigeria safely as concerns grew over their safety and well-being.
The Foreign Minister described the incident as unfortunate and stated that the Nigerian government is in contact with Libyan authorities to address the underlying issue.
He said: “Suffice it to say that we have established contact with them. We’ve sent people from the mission to go there. They are in touch with the delegation.
“Now I am also communicating directly with the chairman, and since last night, we’ve been on the phone with the chargé d’affaires because Libya doesn’t have an ambassador here.
“So, we’re in touch with the chargé d’affaires, and I’m heading back to the ministry now, where we have summoned the Libyan chargé d’affaires. This issue has to be resolved as quickly as possible. So we’re on top of the situation.”
Tuggar suggested a possible connection between Libya’s gesture and a similar incident in the first leg of the qualifiers on Friday, October 11, when its national team landed at the Port Harcourt airport instead of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The minister said: “It’s the most unfortunate situation because the Super Eagles flew to Libya to play a match. As you know, the Libyan team was here. They were supposed to land in Uyo. Instead, they landed in Port Harcourt, where they were not supposed to land.
“Now our team has gone to Libya, and somehow, the plane gets diverted to a different airport. Unfortunately, at that airport, there is no aviation fuel because what we have decided is they need to refuel and get out; we will not be able to allow them to continue. No food.
“When they (the Libyan team) landed, they even got some cartoons of water.”
As of the time of this report, the Super Eagles are believed to have left Libya for Nigeria.
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