Several Super Eagles players, including William Troost-Ekong, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Semi Ajayi, have returned safely to Nigeria after a tense and frustrating experience in Libya, Soccernet.ng reports.
The players were spotted enjoying a night out in Abuja to relax and celebrate their safe arrival after their ordeal in Libya, where they were detained at Al Abraq Airport for several hours.
The unexpected incident occurred when the Super Eagles’ flight, initially scheduled to land in Benghazi ahead of their AFCON 2025 qualifier against Libya, was diverted to Al Abraq.
Upon arrival, Nigerian players and officials were left stranded for hours due to a lack of transport provisions by the Libyan authorities. This caused the postponement of their much-anticipated second-leg clash.
Nigerian DJ Neptune, clearly relieved at the players’ safe return, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his joy. He posted:
“Last night in Abuja with our skippo [William Troost] Ekong, [Semi] Ajayi, [Alex] Iwobi & [Calvin] Bassey. We are glad to have you guys back home safe and happy.”
Last night with in Abuja with our 🇳🇬 ⚽️ ✨ Skippo Ekong , Ajayi, Iwobi & Bassey. We are glad to have you guys back home safe and happy💚 pic.twitter.com/KWyZTSMVkh
— DJ Neptune #GreatnessIII (@deejayneptune) October 15, 2024
The delay and detention of the Nigerian team at the Libyan airport sparked outrage among the Nigerian football community and beyond.
Many questioned the treatment of the Super Eagles, leading to an official investigation by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
In a statement, CAF confirmed it had contacted both Nigerian and Libyan authorities and referred the matter to its Disciplinary Board for further investigation.
CAF’s official statement reads: “The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it had been informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘’Super Eagles’’) and their technical team were stranded in disturbing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land by the Libyan authorities. The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation, and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations.”
As a result of the incident, CAF pulled the Nigeria vs. Libya match from the AFCON qualifier fixture list for the day, while other matchday four fixtures went ahead as planned. No new date has been set for the rescheduled match, but the investigation is expected to provide clarity soon.
For now, the players seem to be enjoying their return to familiar ground, but the investigation and resolution of the troubling events in Libya remain ongoing.