Libyans Hold Super Eagles Hostage for Four Hours at Airport

*Flight diverted to another city 250km from venue of reverse fixture on Tuesday

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Libyan authorities have fulfilled their threat to subject the Super Eagles and the Nigerian delegation to inhuman treatment ahead of tomorrow’s AFCON 2025 qualifier reverse fixture in Benina.

Acting on the misinformation passed on to Libyans by Captain of the Mediterranean Knights, Faisal Al-Badri, that the team was transferred from Port Harcourt to Uyo in a rickety, non-air-conditioned bus after being subjected to delays, the plane flying the Nigerian delegation to Benghazi was yesterday diverted to another city two hour road drive from the planned destination.

According to the Media Officer of the Super Eagles, Promise Efoghe, “about an hour to landing, the Nigerian aircraft approaching its destination, Benghazi, was diverted to another city more than two hour road drive from the original destination.”

That was not all. The players and their officials were held hostage inside the arrival hall of the Al Abaq Airport in Al Abaq for four hours without allowing them to leave airport.

Police and aviation security personnel were seen in a video recording of the rowdy scene at the airport posted by a member of the Nigerian delegation on the Super Eagles official WhatsApp group last night.

Earlier yesterday, a Libyan news medium, LibyaNewsToday, published a report of how the Nigerian delegation would be subjected to hell ahead of the AFCON 2025 qualifier reverse fixture based on the misinformation.

Super Eagles flew out of Nigeria to Benghazi, Libya, with a stopover in Kano for Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifying reverse tie.

The chartered flight was earlier approved to land in Benghazi before the Libyans changed their minds, diverting the plane instead to Al Abaq.

What the Libyans have done was equivalent to flying into Tripoli which is same two hours stressful road trip to Benina, venue of the match on Tuesday.

As at press time, there was no official reaction from the NFF.

Bottom of the table Mediterranean Knights on one point from three matches will play leaders Super Eagles on seven points at the 10,000-capacity stadium in Benina, which is 19 kilometres from Benghazi and has an artificial pitch. Kick-off time is 8pm Nigerian time.