- Recall the Super Eagles arrived in Libya on Sunday for the second leg of their 2025 AFCON Group D qualifier against the Mediterranean Knights, only to face inhumane treatment upon arrival
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has denied reports that the country issued an apology to Libya over the recent detention of the Super Eagles in the North African country.
The minister’s response follows a report by The Libya Observer, published on Tuesday, which falsely claimed that Nigeria had apologised for the incident.
In a statement released on Wednesday by Tuggar’s Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the minister dismissed the report as a deliberate attempt to gain political leverage and mislead football administrators and fans across Africa.
Tuggar clarified that the report misrepresented the details of a phone conversation between him and Libya’s Eastern-based Foreign Minister, Abdelhadi Lahweej.
Rather than apologizing, the Nigerian government expressed its displeasure over the treatment of the national football team and demanded a swift resolution to the matter.
The statement reads, A statement signed by Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar read: “On October 15, 2024, the Libya Observer published an erroneous report to gain political leverage and cause disaffection amongst continental football administrators and fans.
“The publication by the Libya Observer, which misrepresents the phone correspondence between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and the East-based Government’s Foreign Minister, is a clear case of misinformation. The fact of the matter was that the CDA of the Government of National Unity was summoned to the Ministry to seek an immediate end to the unfortunate incident.
“However, not much diplomatic headway was made during the meeting with the Acting Charge of Affairs, Imad Mohammed Matooq Aboud, as they insisted that it was not under the jurisdiction of Tripoli, which they represented, but that of the Eastern Government in Benghazi.
“This prompted the Minister to take immediate action by contacting the Foreign Minister of the Eastern Government, Abdelhadi Lahweej, to intervene and ensure that the detention ended. After that, the aircraft was given the necessary permits to fly, and aviation fuel was accessed.
“Both Ministers agreed that the matter should be de-escalated immediately. Even when Lahweej insisted on rehashing the untruth about the treatment of Libyan players in Nigeria, Amb. Tuggar once again corrected the misinformation about the mistreatment of Libyan players during the Nigerian encounter. He did not apologise or regret the treatment of Libyan officials and players because the account was inaccurate.
“Lahweej proposed a joint statement, which the Ministry rejected because it erroneously misrepresented the facts of the incident. Above all, the federal government of Nigeria only shares a diplomatic relationship with the government of the National Accord and not with the Eastern government.”
The statement emphasised that: “Nigeria remains unequivocal in expressing its displeasure and disappointment with how the Nigerian Football Federation officials were treated in Libya. It calls on the Confederation of African Football to urgently ensure that its Disciplinary Board investigates the matter and imposes appropriate sanctions based on its statutes.”
Recall the Super Eagles arrived in Libya on Sunday for the second leg of their 2025 AFCON Group D qualifier against the Mediterranean Knights, only to face inhumane treatment upon arrival.
The Super Eagles and their contingent were held at the airport for over 20 hours without access to food, water, or communication with the outside world, sparking outrage among fans and officials.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has since stated that it is investigating the incident to ensure appropriate actions are taken.
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