Nigerias sports Minister Senator John Owan Enoh Condems super eagles ordeal in Libya
I strongly condemn the obnoxious treatment meted on players and officials of the Senior National Team,the Super Eagles who arrived Libya, yesterday the 13th of October for the reverse version of the match played on Friday in Uyo, the AFCON 2025 Group D qualifiers.
The National Team was en route Benghazi but was diverted on approach the airport(with very scant attention to their safety),to Al Abaq Airport, which is hours away from Benghazi, where their match is slated to take place.
Throughout the night, I escalated the matter and involved all necessary authorities, including the Foreign Affairs Minister, the National Security Adviser, the DG NIA, and Amaju Pinnick, our CAF Executive member.
I have also remained in touch with the president of the NFF, who is on the ground with the team, and the Chairman of Value Jet, the owners of the plane that airlifted the team to Libya. All hands must be on deck to protect our National Team.
The Team have succinctly stated that they have been unattended to for upwards of about 15 hrs since arrival, with no food, no accommodation, left in a mosquito-infested environment and cordoned off by Libyan security not to step out of the airport, and they have access to nothing. To say the least, they face an almost ‘hostage’ situation.
These are sportsmen set to compete in an AFCON qualifying match this coming Tuesday!
For now, our primary concern is the safety of our national team members.
With the events of the past hours, their safety is not guaranteed, and the team insists they’re unable to go ahead with the match not just because of the trauma and consequent psychological torture but also because of fear for their safety.