Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has condemned the actions of Libyan authorities, who held Nigeria’s Super Eagles and their officials at Al Abaq Airport.
The incident occurred when a Nigerian aircraft, originally headed for Benghazi, was diverted to a city over two hours away from its intended destination, just one hour before landing.
This diversion left the Super Eagles team, along with officials and support staff, stranded and subject to unnecessary delays, causing significant distress.
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Diana-Mary Nsan, Enoh expressed grave concern over the treatment of the Nigerian team, especially given that they were in Libya for an international engagement. He stated, “Such actions by the Libyan authorities are deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable. Holding our national team and officials hostage under any circumstances violates not only international sporting protocols but also the principles of respect and hospitality that should be extended to all visiting teams.”
The Minister further emphasized that the Nigerian government will not tolerate any form of disrespect or mistreatment toward its players and officials. “We are in close contact with the appropriate authorities and are sparing no effort to ensure that this situation is resolved swiftly.
I urge everyone to remain calm while we engage diplomatically to address this matter,” he added.
