Nigerian Government summons Libyan diplomat over Super Eagles’ ordeal

By Kunle Sanni

The Nigerian government has summoned Libya’s Chargé d’Affaires to address the situation involving the Super Eagles, who were stranded for over 12 hours after arriving in Libya for the return leg of the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The team had traveled to the North African country following a 1-0 victory against the Mediterranean Knights in Akwa Ibom last Friday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed the development to State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. He explained that the Super Eagles were diverted to an airport that lacked aviation fuel, leaving the team stranded for an extended period.

Tuggar assured that the government is working to resolve the matter and ensure the team’s safety as they prepare for the crucial qualifying match.

Background

The Nigerian men’s football team faced a distressing ordeal when their flight to Benghazi was unexpectedly diverted to Al Abraq International Airport in Libya. Upon landing, the players and staff were stranded for over 12 hours without access to food, water, or transportation.

Team captain William Troost-Ekong shared the experience on social media, expressing frustration and fatigue due to the lack of assistance from Libyan authorities. He described the conditions as intolerable, stating that the team was essentially held “hostage” under unsafe and inhumane circumstances.

In response, the Super Eagles decided to boycott the AFCON qualifier, with the Nigeria Football Federation supporting their decision and making arrangements for their safe return to Nigeria. The Nigerian government, through the Foreign Minister, expressed concerns over the incident and stated they are in contact with Libyan authorities to address the situation.

Tuggar said, “We have established contact with them. We’ve sent people from the mission to the airport, and they are in touch with the delegation. I have been communicating directly with the chairman, and since last night, we’ve been in touch with the chargé d’affaires, as Libya currently does not have an ambassador here. We have summoned the chargé d’affaires, and this issue has to be resolved as quickly as possible. We are on top of the situation.”

Tuggar suggested that Libya’s actions may be connected to a previous incident in the first leg of the qualifiers, where the Libyan team mistakenly landed at Port Harcourt instead of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday, October 11.

“It’s an unfortunate situation because the Super Eagles flew to Libya to play a match. As you know, the Libyan team came to Nigeria and was supposed to land in Uyo but mistakenly landed in Port Harcourt. Now our team has gone to Libya, and their plane gets diverted to a different airport. Unfortunately, there was no aviation fuel at that airport, and the team couldn’t refuel to leave. They were also left without food.

“When the Libyan team landed in Nigeria, they at least received some cartons of water,” Tuggar remarked.