THE Federal Government of Nigeria has dismissed claims that it apologised to Libya over the recent incident involving the Super Eagles’ detention at the Al Abaq Airport.
The minister of foreign affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, in a statement on Wednesday, October 16, described the claim as ‘erroneous’ and a clear attempt to gain political leverage while sowing discontent among African football administrators and fans.
On Tuesday, October 15, Libya Observer, published a report claiming that Tuggar extended an official apology to the Libyan government over the incident involving the Libyan team.
It also noted that Tuggar expressed deep regret, and clarified that the incident that led to the delay of the Libyan team in Nigeria was neither intentional nor a deliberate act by the Nigerian government.
The ICIR reports that on Tuesday, October 8, after landing in Uyo, the Libyan team voiced its dissatisfaction, alleging mistreatment by the NFF.
It complained that the NFF treated its members badly by taking them through a long, tortuous journey by road from the Port Harcourt International Airport to Uvo in a vehicle without air conditioning.
The team was in Nigeria for the first leg of the Africa Nation’s Cup which the Nigerian Super Eagles won 1:0.
However, reacting to the report, the Nigerian government stated that the claim of apologising to the Libyan government was erroneous and was aimed to gain political leverage.
It also noted that the issue began when the Charge d’Affairs of the Government of National Unity was summoned to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, the Acting Charge d’Affairs, Imad Mohammed Matooq Aboud, was said to have insisted that the detention was beyond the jurisdiction of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity.
He further placed the responsibility on the Eastern Government in Benghazi.
“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, the statement added.
According to the statement, following the diplomatic impasse, Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs took immediate action by contacting Abdelhadi Lahweej, the foreign minister of the Eastern Government.
It stressed that the call resulted in securing the necessary permits for the Super Eagles’ aircraft to continue its journey and access aviation fuel.
The statement emphasised that the Nigerian government rejected a joint statement proposed by Lahweej, as it misrepresented the facts surrounding the incident.
The government, meanwhile, called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to urgently investigate the incident.
It also urged the CAF’s disciplinary board to examine the matter thoroughly and impose appropriate sanctions on those responsible, as stipulated by its statutes.
The ICIR earlier reported how Nigerian Super Eagles players and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) decried the mistreatment of the Nigerian contingent in Libya between Sunday, October 13 and Monday, October 14.
Stand-in captain of the Super Eagles, Williams Troost-Ekong, revealed on his X page Monday morning that the NFF officials and the players were stranded for over 15 hours after the team arrived at Al Abraq Airport Libya.
The team chartered ValueJet aircraft from Nigeria and expected to touch down at the Benghazi Airport in the host country but was diverted to Al Abraq Airport, where they would travel by road for three hours before reaching Benghazi where their reversed match would be played.
No official of the Libya Football Federation welcomed the players and their gaffers.
Images of the team circulated by the team’s captain Williams Troos-Ekong, showed players lying on airport benches, visibly fatigued, as they waited for the travel issues to be resolved.
The mistreatment led to the Super Eagles opting out of the return game.
The Super Eagles defeated the Libyan Mediterranean Knights 1:0 at the Uyo Stadium on Friday, October 11, and had hoped to be victorious again in the oil-rich North African nation.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M