Super Eagles Captain Ekong Breaks Silence on Hostage Ordeal in Libya, Threatens Boycott

Super Eagles Captain Ekong Breaks Silence on Hostage Ordeal in Libya, Threatens Boycott

  • Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has broken his silence on the terrible situation in Libya
  • The Nigerian national team players and staff have been held hostage at the Al Abaq airport since last night
  • Ekong narrated the team's situation and publicly declared that his team would not play under such

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has broken his silence on the inhumane treatment meted out to the team on their arrival in Libya for the AFCON 2025 qualifier second legs match.

The Nigerian players and staff have been held hostage at the Al Abaq airport since arrival last night as Libyan authorities locked them in the airport with no provisions.

Super Eagles, Libya airport.
Super Eagles' players' luggage at the Al Abaq airport in Libya. Photo from @official_micolo.
Source: Getty Images

Their chartered flight, which was due to land in Benghazi, was redirected mid-air to the remote airport in Al Abaq, three hours' drive away from the venue of the match.

Read also

Super Eagles set for drastic decision as Libyan airport gate remains locked

Ekong speaks on Super Eagles' ordeal

Super Eagles defender and captain Ekong has expressed his annoyance at his team's ordeal in Libya. He narrated the incident on Instagram story and has threatened a boycott of the game.

“They diverted our plane from its original destination once we started descending into Libya through their government instruction. Once we landed, they've kept us in this abandoned airport for over 12 hours now without any provisions,” he wrote.
“Even our pilot, a Tunisian who wasn't locked in like a hostage, came back hours later. He was told in every nearby hotel they would only accept him and none of the Nigerian aircrew members. Are we still talking about international football?!
“We have kept our spirit up, but these are no conditions we will accept when done on purpose. Traveling by road is not safe here, and you can only imagine how they would treat us in the hotel or the food they will try to give us. It was funny before, but as a team we respect ourselves, and under these conditions, we won't play. @caf_online”

Read also

Libyan fans decry poor treatment in Nigeria, demand revenge ahead of second leg

In another message on X, he confirmed the team would choose to forfeit the points if CAF accepts such conditions.

Boniface reacts to hostility in Libya

Legit.ng reported that Victor Boniface reacted to Libya's hostility against the Super Eagles on arrival in the country for the AFCON 2025 qualifier second leg.

The Bayer Leverkusen star took to his social media page to hit out at the treatment given to the Nigerian players, calling on the relevant authorities to intervene.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Elijah Odetokun avatar

Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit NG. He has four years of working experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria (August 2020 - September 2020), OmaSports (December 2020 - June 2021), El Futbolero (July 2021; September 2021- November 2021), and Sports Brief (November 2022 - July 2024). He is a press conference and interview specialist and has attended trainings held by Reuters, AIPS, and FIJ. He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture (2021) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Reach me via elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com

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