By Nurudeen Obalola
The Super Eagles have landed back in Nigeria after a nightmarish experience in Libya.
They arrived back in the country around 6pm on Monday, almost 24 hours after they got to Libya for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against the North Africans, which was scheduled for Tuesday.
The contingent’s ValueJet plane landed in Kano on Monday evening, about five hours after leaving the Al Abraq airport in Libya.
“Just in: Super Eagles finally return to Nigeria. Just landed in Kano,” the team’s media unit posted on WhatsApp at 6.01pm.
The Super Eagles and their officials were held hostage in Libya for over 16 hours after their plane was diverted mid-air to Al Abraq, instead of its original destination of Benina airport, near Benghazi, where the match was scheduled to be played.
The mistreatment of the Super Eagles — they were kept at the Al Abraq airport for over 16 hours without food, drinks and sleeping arrangements — sparked outrage in Nigeria, with the sports minister John Enoh and other high-ranking government officials getting involved.
The players eventually decided not to go ahead with the match, and flew back home, leaving the Confederation of African Football with a decision to make.
