Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has denied apologising to Libya over Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ ordeal in the North African country.
Tuggar clarified this in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir.
The minister’s response followed a report by the Libyan Observer with the headline: ‘Nigeria Apologises to Libya for Football Incident’. Tuggar dismissed the claim as misinformation.
“On October 15, 2024, the Libya Observer published an erroneous report to gain political leverage and create disaffection among continental football administrators and fans,” the statement read.
“The publication by the Libya Observer, which misrepresents the phone correspondence between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and the East-based government’s Foreign Minister, is a clear case of misinformation. The fact is that the Charge d’Affaires (CDA) of the Government of National Unity was summoned to the Ministry to demand an immediate end to the unfortunate incident.
“However, little diplomatic progress was made during the meeting with the Acting Charge d’Affaires, Imad Mohammed Matooq Aboud, as they insisted that the issue 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 the detention ended. After that, the aircraft was given the necessary permits to fly, and aviation fuel was accessed.”
Abdulkadir further stated that Tuggar and the Libyan ministers agreed to de-escalate the situation immediately.
However, when Lahweej raised false claims about the treatment of Libyan players in Nigeria, Tuggar again corrected the misinformation, stressing that he did not apologise or express regret because the account was inaccurate.
He said, “Lahweej proposed a joint statement, which the Ministry rejected because it misrepresented the facts of the incident. Furthermore, the federal government of Nigeria only maintains diplomatic relations with the Government of National Unity, not with the Eastern Government.”
The statement added that Nigeria remains resolute in expressing its displeasure and disappointment with how Nigerian Football Federation officials were treated in Libya. It also called on CAF to urgently ensure that its Disciplinary Board investigates the matter and imposes appropriate sanctions according to its statutes.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, CAF called off the AFCON 2025 second-leg qualifier between Libya and Nigeria as it investigates the issue surrounding the maltreatment of Super Eagles players and officials by Libyan authorities.
The Super Eagles remain top of Group D with seven points. Benin Republic (6 points), Rwanda (5 points), and Libya (1 point) occupy the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively.
