Libya Government Bow to Pressure as Super Eagles Journey Back to Nigeria

The Libyan government has finally bowed to pressures by clearing the Nigerian flight to bring the players and officials of the Nigeria Super Eagles back home after more than 14 hours of holding them hostage at Al Abraq International Airport.

It was earlier reported that the team which was en route to Benghazi for the crucial 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier had their chartered aircraft diverted mid-flight to Al Abraq, a small airport naturally reserved for hajj operations.

The unexpected diversion left players and officials stranded without any assistance from the Libyan Football Federation.

However, in a recent update on the X handle of sports journalist Adepoju Tobi Samuel, popularly known as OgaNlaMedia, on Monday, October 14, the Libyan government has agreed to issue clearance for ValueJet Airline to fly and sell aviation fuel to the Nigerian airline.

The update reads: “After pressure from several quarters, the Libyan government have agreed to issue clearance for ValueJet Airline to fly and sell aviation fuel to the airline.

“They came with a gimmick to issue a pre-clearance to land in Benghazi first before we fly to Nigeria. The same Benghazi that was busy yesterday.

“The NFF has insisted that the clearance from Al-Abraq airport must be for the team to fly directly to Nigeria.”

The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, further confirmed the news via a terse statement on her X handle.

She wrote: “Super Eagles team now boarding. Journey mercies to all of them.”