By Andrew ABAH, Abuja
The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, and the Chairman House Committee on Sports, Honourable, Kabiru Amadu, have separately condemned the recent actions of Libyan authorities, who held the Nigerian Super Eagles and their officials hostage at Al Abaq Airport.
The hostage taking occurred after the Nigerian aircraft, originally en route to Benghazi, was diverted to another city over a two-hour drive from the intended destination, just an hour before landing.
The diversion caused significant distress to the Super Eagles team, officials, and support staff, who were left stranded and subjected to unnecessary delays.
The Honourable Minister expressed deep concern over the poor treatment of the team, particularly as they were in Libya for an international engagement.
“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 Nigerian government will not tolerate any form of disrespect or mistreatment toward our players and officials,” Senator Enoh stated.
The Honourable Minister emphasized that the safety and welfare of the Super Eagles and their officials remain the government’s top priority.
He assured Nigerians that the Ministry of Sports Development is working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relevant diplomatic channels, and other stakeholders to ensure the immediate and safe release of the team and their safe passage to their destination.
“We are in close contact with the appropriate authorities, and we are sparing no effort in ensuring that this situation is resolved swiftly. I urge everyone to remain calm while we engage diplomatically to address this matter,” Senator Enoh added.
The Honourable Minister further called on the Libyan authorities to respect international sporting relations and the fundamental rights of athletes and officials traveling for official purposes.
He stressed that sports diplomacy is a vital tool for fostering global unity, and such incidents should not be allowed to occur again.
The Minister expressed his gratitude to the Nigerian public for their patience and support during this challenging time and reassured everyone that every necessary measure is being taken to bring the Super Eagles safely to their destination.
On his part, the Chairman House Committee on Sports, Honourable, Kabiru Amadu, expressed displeasure and deep disappointment over the ill treatment to the Super Eagles in Libya ahead of Tuesday's AFCON Qualifier in Benghazi.
According to him, the behaviour of the Libyans have gone beyond normal routine antics that teams do to unsettled their opponents with this kind of behaviour that is capable of endangering the lives of the Nigeria Delegation.
"This is absolutely not Sportsmanship at all and expect everybody in football to condemn behaviour like this in its entirety".
"You can't subject players to such a risky treatment because you want to win a game and I strongly think CAF must take this up because this is not good for the image of football on the continent ".
"Our Football in Africa should have gone pass barbaric behaviour like this and this is a big challenge for CAF to ensure this kind of thing is not seen around the game ".
The Chairman however praised the Super Eagles players for their tenacity and patriotic spirit and assured them that the Nigerian Government will always prioritise their safety.
The Super Eagles were scheduled to take on the Libyans on Tuesday in a reversed fixture of the 2025 AFCON Qualifier after defeating them 1-0 in Uyo on Friday.