Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, on Wednesday, said Nigeria never apologized to Libya over the recent detention of the Super Eagles in Benghazi.
Tuggar’s clarification follows a report by The Libya Observer on Tuesday, falsely claiming Nigeria had apologized for the incident.
The Foreign Minister dismissed the claims by the Libyan newspaper.
Tuggar, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, on Wednesday, described the report as a deliberate attempt to gain political leverage and mislead football administrators and fans across Africa.
The Minister said the publication distorted the details of a phone call between him and Libya’s Eastern-based Foreign Minister, Abdelhadi Lahweej.
He stressed that rather than offering an apology, the Nigerian government expressed dissatisfaction over the treatment of the Super Eagles and demanded an immediate resolution to the issue.
The statement partly read, “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 Nigerian Foreign Minister explained that following this, he directly contacted the Eastern-based government in Benghazi to intervene. After negotiations, the necessary permits were granted, allowing the Super Eagles to leave Libya, and the situation was de-escalated.
“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. Even when Lahweej insisted on rehashing the untruth about the treatment of Libyan players in Nigeria, Amb Tuggar once again corrected the misinformation about the mistreatment of Libyan players during the Nigerian encounter,” the statement added.
The minister also dismissed as false allegations 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.
Tuggar disclosed that while Lahweej suggested issuing a joint statement on the matter, Nigeria rejected the proposal because it misrepresented the facts of the incident.
Recall that the Nigerian Super Eagles had flown into Libya on Sunday afternoon for the second leg of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying Group D fixture against the Mediterranean Knights, only to be subjected to inhumane treatment upon arrival.
The Nigerian contingent was detained at the airport for over 20 hours without food or water and completely shut out of the world.
Confederation of African Football is already investigating the incident.
