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 minister’s response comes after a report published by The Libya Observer on Tuesday falsely claimed Nigeria had apologized for the incident.
In a statement by Tuggar’s Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, on Wednesday, the minister clarified that the report was an attempt to mislead football fans and administrators across Africa.
He noted that, contrary to the claims, Nigeria expressed dissatisfaction over the treatment of its national football team and demanded 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 read.
Tuggar revealed that after attempts to resolve the issue with the Tripoli-based government failed, he personally contacted Libya’s Eastern-based Foreign Minister, Abdelhadi Lahweej, to intervene and ensure the Super Eagles were allowed to leave.
Following this direct engagement, the necessary permits were granted, and the Nigerian team was able to depart Benghazi.
Tuggar emphasized that there was no apology from Nigeria and that the government stood firm in its position.
The minister also corrected false allegations made by Lahweej regarding the mistreatment of Libyan players in Nigeria during their encounter with the Super Eagles, further debunking any need for an apology. Nigeria also rejected Lahweej’s suggestion of issuing a joint statement, as it misrepresented the facts of the situation.
The incident, which saw the Nigerian football team detained at Benghazi airport for over 20 hours without food or water, is currently being investigated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).