The lawmakers strongly condemned the inhumane treatment and frustration inflicted on the football players in Libya.
The House of Representatives has strongly condemned the mistreatment of the super eagles and the Nigerian delegation by the Libyan Football Federation and the Libyan government. The lawmakers expressed their outrage over the ill-treatment and called on the Nigerian government to summon the Libyan Ambassador to Nigeria for questioning regarding the incident.
This resolution came after a motion of urgent national importance was introduced by Rep. Kabiru Ahmed (APC, Zamfara) during plenary on Tuesday.
While presenting the motion, Rep. Ahmed recounted that the super eagles were set to play a return fixture in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya’s Mediterranean Knights on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. This followed the Super Eagles’ 1-0 victory over Libya in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. The team traveled to Libya on Sunday, October 13, 2024, to play the match at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benghazi, scheduled for 8:00 pm on October 15.
Among the Nigerian delegation were members of the House of Representatives, led by the deputy chairman of the House committee on sports, the deputy governor of Edo State, and officials from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Rep. Ahmed highlighted the distressing ordeal faced by the delegation, who were stranded for 18 hours at Al-Abraq international airport upon their arrival in Libya. Their flight, initially headed for Benghazi, was diverted mid-flight to Al-Abraq, a small airport primarily used for hajj operations.
Ahmed expressed frustration that, despite the diversion, the Libyan authorities did not allow the team to leave the airport or access basic amenities such as food, internet, or accommodation. The entire airport was cordoned off, and the delegation was effectively held hostage for 18 hours.
“Despite diverting the flight to a small Airport with little or no amenities, the Libyan authorities did not allow the team to get out of the airport or move to their hotel, no access to the internet, no food,” he lamented.
On October 14, 2024, the NFF issued a statement decrying the chaotic situation and the inhumane treatment of the super eagles and the delegation. The players were unable to reach their hotel in Benghazi, which was three hours away from the airport, and were left fatigued and frustrated. Due to the hostilities, they considered refusing to play the match.
In response, Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, expressed sympathy for the super eagles and commended their patriotism. He urged the NFF to lodge an official complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) regarding the dehumanizing treatment suffered by the team.
Additionally, the house resolved to mandate its committees on sports and foreign affairs to investigate the incident further.
Recall that OrderPaper‘s Legislative İntelligent Forecast Entry (LİFE) had predicted that the national assembly will take a decisive action on the Libya saga.
