The Federal Government of Nigeria has refuted claims that it issued an apology over the recent mistreatment of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) officials and the national football team in Libya.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, clarified the situation in a statement released on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir.
The minister dismissed a report published by the Libya Observer on October 15, which alleged that Nigeria had apologized for the incident. Tuggar stated that the report was misleading and aimed at creating unnecessary tension among football administrators and fans across Africa.
Tuggar emphasized that he had promptly contacted Abdelhadi Lahweej, the Foreign Minister of Libya’s Eastern Government, to address the matter. He also expressed the Nigerian government’s strong displeasure over the incident and the subsequent misleading report.
“The report is blatant misinformation and a misrepresentation of the telephone conversation between myself and the Foreign Minister of Libya’s Eastern Government,” Tuggar said. “Nigeria remains firm in expressing its disappointment with how NFF officials were treated in Libya.”
He urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to investigate the situation and ensure that appropriate sanctions are imposed according to its regulations.
The Foreign Ministry further disclosed that Libya’s Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) had been summoned to address the issue. However, diplomatic discussions with Libya’s acting Charge d’Affaires in Nigeria, Imad Aboud, failed to make significant progress. Aboud explained that the incident fell under the jurisdiction of Libya’s Eastern Government in Benghazi, not Tripoli, where he is based.
After intervention, the aircraft carrying the Nigerian delegation was granted permission to fly, and access to aviation fuel was provided. Both ministers agreed to de-escalate the situation.
Despite efforts to resolve the issue, Tuggar reiterated that no apology was given, nor was there any regret expressed over the alleged treatment of Libyan officials and players, as the claims were inaccurate. He added that a proposed joint statement by Lahweej was rejected due to its misrepresentation of the facts.
Tuggar concluded by noting that Nigeria only maintains diplomatic relations with Libya’s Government of National Accord and not with the Eastern Government.
