The Nigerian government has denied a report claiming that it apologized to Libya, over their maltreatment of the Super Eagles, when they arrived in the North African country for a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
This follows a story published by The Libya Observer on Tuesday, which claimed their country has received an apology.
But Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has dismissed such claims.
In a statement released on Wednesday by Tuggar’s Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the minister described the report as a deliberate attempt to gain political leverage and mislead football administrators and fans across Africa.
According to him, the publication distorted the details of a phone conversation between him and Libya’s Eastern-based Foreign Minister, Abdelhadi Lahweej.
“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.
“However, not much diplomatic headway was made during the meeting with the Acting Charge of Affairs, Imad Mohammed Matooq Aboud, as they insisted that it was not under the jurisdiction of Tripoli, which they represented but that of the Eastern Government in Benghazi.
“This prompted the Minister to take immediate action by contacting the Foreign Minister of the Eastern Government, Abdelhadi Lahweej, to intervene and ensure that the detention ended,” the statement read.
Tuggar further debunked false allegations made by Lahweej concerning the mistreatment of Libyan players in Nigeria, correcting the record but refusing to apologise for any actions, as the claims were inaccurate.
He claimed that while Lahweej suggested issuing a joint statement, Nigeria rejected the idea because it misrepresented the facts of the incident.
The Nigerian delegation had flown into Libya ahead of the second leg of their AFCON qualifier against the Mediterranean Knights, only to be subjected to inhumane treatment upon arrival.
They were locked in at the airport for over 20 hours without food, water or Internet.
The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has opened an investigation into the matter.
