Senate demands apology from Libya for Super Eagles incident
On Tuesday, the Senate called on the Libyan government to apologize to Nigeria for the mistreatment of the Super Eagles, the national senior male football team.
According to newsmen, following Libya’s 1-0 defeat to Nigeria in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the teams were set to meet again in Benina for their fourth Group D match.
The Super Eagles departed for Libya on Sunday afternoon, but reports from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) indicated that their flight was diverted to Al Abraq—more than two hours away from their intended destination of Benghazi—just an hour before landing.
This unexpected diversion left players and officials stranded without any support from the Libyan Football Federation, which did not provide transportation.
Following the Supper Eagles’ threat to boycott the 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya due to being stranded for over 12 hours at the airport, the Senate Committee on Sports convened to discuss the matter. During a session on Tuesday, Senator Sulaiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) condemned the treatment of the team, stating it was inconsistent with best practices in sports.
Presiding over the session, Deputy Senate President Barau I. Jibrin emphasized that sports should foster unity and brotherhood among nations. He labeled the players’ treatment as “terrible and condemnable.”
He noted that Kawu’s motion was timely and aimed to prevent any diplomatic fallout, urging the ambassador and relevant authorities to issue an apology to the national team.
In a statement from his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon Eseme Eyiboh, Senate President Godswill Akpabio called for a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
He urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Committee to take appropriate action against those responsible and insisted that Libyan authorities must also investigate and hold accountable those involved to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at Neptune Prime.
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