The Super Eagles of Nigeria and their officials were held hostage by Libyan authorities at Al Abaq airport in the city of Al Abaq.
The Nigerian national football team, en route to Benghazi for their crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, was suddenly diverted to Al Abaq, a city more than a two-hour drive from their intended destination.
The incident occurred about an hour before the team was set to land in Benghazi. Without prior notice, the Nigerian aircraft was redirected, leaving players, coaching staff, and officials stranded and under tight control by Libyan authorities upon arrival at Al Abaq airport.
In a video seen by our correspondent, the players and the officials were seen inside the arrival lounge of the airport with Libyan authorities preventing from boarding a bus that would convey them to their main destination.
The team’s media officer, Promise Efoghe, in a WhatsApp message accompanied by the video, wrote, “Libyan authorities hold Super Eagles, officials hostage at the Al Abaq airport in Al Abaq.
“About an hour to landing, the Nigerian aircraft approaching its destination, Benghazi was diverted to another city more than two-hour drive from the original destination.”
The reasons for the diversion were still sketchy as of press time but insiders told our correspondent that the Libyan authorities’ actions could be in retaliation for the alleged maltreatment of the Libyan team when they visited Nigeria for the first leg of the qualifiers.
Libya had accused the Nigerian authorities of failing to provide adequate logistical support, for them but the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) blamed their North Africans for ‘chaos for its own team’.
The video:
