By Bashir Aliyu
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reacted to the purported inhumane treatment of the Super Eagle players in Libya, descibing the development as “unfortunate”.
In a statement signed by the spokesperson of the ministry, Amb. Echu Abu-Obe, made available to Daily Review Newspaper, said a prompt action facilitated the swift resolution of the matter.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received with dismay the news of the unfortunate detention of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) officials and the Super Eagles at the Al Abraq International Airport several hours after arriving ahead of Tuesday’s AFCON 2025 qualifier against Libya.
“To resolve the incident, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar initiated a phone call to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Eastern Government, Dr Abdulhadi Lawreej. This spawned a series of actions, culminating in steps taken to assuage the officials and reassure the players of their safety.” The statement added.
The players were shortly after departed for Nigeria and subsequently landed at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
Finally, Ambassador Tuggar commended the authorities for their prompt action to make sure the Nigerian players were rescued from the country.
The difficulty faced by the players has forced the NFF to postpone the CAF qualifier which was initially scheduled to take place on Tuesday.