FG denies apologising to Libya over Super Eagles’ ordeal

Thursday, October 17, 2024 - Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has firmly denied claims that the country issued an apology to Libya over the recent detention of the Super Eagles in Benghazi. The clarification comes after The Libya Observer inaccurately reported that Nigeria had apologized for the incident.

In a statement released on Wednesday, October 16, by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, it was explained that the false report misrepresented a diplomatic phone call between Tuggar and Libya’s Eastern-based Foreign Minister, Abdelhadi Lahweej. The Nigerian government, instead of issuing an apology, expressed dissatisfaction with the way its national football team was treated and called for an immediate resolution.

“The fact of the matter was that the CDA of the Government of National Unity was summoned to the Ministry to seek an immediate end to the unfortunate incident,” the statement clarified.

Diplomatic efforts, however, initially hit a roadblock. The Acting Charge d'Affaires of Libya in Nigeria, Imad Mohammed Matooq Aboud, claimed that the incident was beyond the jurisdiction of the Tripoli-based government, which they represented, and was under the control of the Eastern Government in Benghazi.

Faced with this impasse, Tuggar promptly reached out to the Eastern administration, directly contacting Foreign Minister Abdelhadi Lahweej to intervene. Following the discussions, the situation de-escalated, and the necessary permits were issued for the Super Eagles’ departure from Libya.

“After that, the aircraft was given the necessary permits to fly, and aviation fuel was accessed. Both Ministers agreed that the matter should be de-escalated immediately,” the statement noted. Despite attempts by Lahweej to revisit past claims about the treatment of Libyan players in Nigeria, Tuggar corrected these inaccuracies but refused to apologize, reiterating that the claims were unsubstantiated.

The statement underscores that Nigeria’s priority was to resolve the situation diplomatically while correcting any misinformation surrounding the events.