Glimpse from first leg of Nigeria vs Libya match
By Tony Folarin
Days into the cancellation of the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Libya’s national team, members of the Nigerian community in Libya have said that Libyans have begun persecuting Nigerians based in Libya in the wake of botched S/Eagles return match.
According to the Nigerian community in Libya, citizens of Libya supported the maltreatment of Super Eagles, they added that many of the Libyan citizens said Nigerians ill treated them and what they did to Super Eagles was a revenge.
Recall that the Nigerian contingent was held at the Al-Abraq Airport in eastern Libya for over 20 hours upon arrival on Sunday, following their earlier 1-0 victory in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
The team was scheduled to land at the Benghazi Airport and travel for nearly four hours by road to Benina, where the match was to be played.
However, less than an hour before landing, the Tunisian pilot flying the plane reportedly received a directive from “Libya’s highest authorities” to divert the flight to Al-Abraq Airport, located 150 miles away from the destination.
The development sparked widespread outrage, forcing the Nigerian Football Federation to withdraw the Super Eagles from the qualifying match.
The National Assembly condemned the Libyan government for subjecting the Nigerian team to dehumanising treatment and called for stiff penalties for the Libyan authorities.
The Libyan government had claimed that its national team faced similar maltreatment on Nigerian soil before the first leg of the game.
Adenaike Emmanuel, a Nigerian living in Tripoli, the country’s capital, said, “For those of us who have been in the country, we know them. Libyans always one you to feel pain. They said what happened to their players in Nigeria was intentional, and they vowed to revenge. They called it ‘an eye for an eye.’ So, what the Libyan government did to the Super Eagles was intentional. Moreover, 95 per cent of their citizens supported it. We saw the reports on their blogs, Facebook posts, and news platforms. It was very clear that the people supported it. And that is how they behave.
“Since the game was cancelled, their maltreatment of Nigerians has not changed. They don’t like us; the inhuman treatment has worsened. That’s why many Nigerians here are battling depression.
“Libyans don’t value us. They just enter our houses, round people up, and take them to prison. Many Nigerians are currently languishing in prisons across Libya without having committed any offence. Most times, we complain to the Nigerian embassy, but nothing tangible happens.”
The International Organisation for Migration has facilitated the return of thousands of Nigerians from Libya in recent years.
The president of the Nigerian community, Peter Omoregbie, said since the failed game with the Super Eagles, Libyans had continued with their harsh treatment of Nigerians in the country.
He said, “As foreigners in this country, there is a way they maltreat us. The Libyans act as if Nigerians don’t exist at all. Since the match was cancelled, the situation has not changed.”
Omoregbie said before the Super Eagles left Nigeria, the Libyans had already threatened to treat the team poorly upon arrival.
“The news had spread all over Libya before the Super Eagles left Nigeria. All the local Libyan news outlets reported it. Their blogs also widely shared the news. They claimed the NFF purposely made the Libyan national team players endure physical discomfort so they could be weak before the match and unable to either draw or win against the Nigerian team.
“The Libyans’ game plan for the two-leg matches was to draw with the Super Eagles in Nigeria then win at home. They saw the Nigerian game as their last hope for qualification. But their loss fuelled their resolve to seek revenge.
“So, before the Nigerian team arrived, it was common knowledge that the Libyan national team was maltreated in Nigeria
