The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has strongly condemned the treatment of the Super Eagles by Libyan authorities ahead of their second-leg AFCON 2025 qualifier scheduled for Tuesday.
In a statement released by NIDCOM spokesperson Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Dabiri-Erewa criticized Libya’s decision to divert the team’s flight to a remote airport, forcing the squad to embark on a dangerous three-hour road journey through the war-torn country. “Traveling by road in Libya is extremely unsafe, given the current situation,” she emphasized.
She decried the lack of adequate provisions for the Nigerian players, who were stranded at the airport for over 13 hours without basic necessities like food, water, rest, or communication facilities. “The safety of our players is paramount, and this situation is unacceptable,” she said, urging the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to urgently address the issue.
The NIDCOM boss called on the Ministry of Sports and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to assess the situation and take appropriate action, while also appealing to the Super Eagles to remain calm as the matter is resolved.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed that the Nigerian government is closely monitoring the situation. According to Tuggar, despite efforts by the Nigerian Mission in Tripoli, led by Ambassador Stephen Anthony Awuru, Libyan authorities have yet to authorize the Mission’s access to Bayda City, where the team is located.
In the interim, the head of the Nigerian community in Benghazi, Mr. Morris Eromosele, arrived at the scene early Monday with supplies and internet access. Tuggar assured that the government would continue to follow developments and take necessary action.
