William Troost-Ekong Confirms Super Eagles’ Exit From Libya After 17 Hours ‘Hostage’

Nigeria’s Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, confirmed on Monday that the team is finally returning to Nigeria after being held hostage by Libya for over 17 hours.

Recall that Libyan football authorities reportedly held the Super Eagles hostage at Al Abaq Airport upon their arrival in the North African country. They had travelled there for a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against the Libyan national team.

The treatment they received at the airport led the Super Eagles players to decide to boycott the upcoming game, which was scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) took action by sending a protest letter to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to address the situation. But at the time of writing, the football body hasn’t made an official statement concerning the situation.

Earlier this afternoon, Troost-Ekong provided an update on the situation through his social media account, expressing gratitude for the support received.

He emphasized that the team would never treat a visiting nation in the same way they were treated and highlighted that any delays or mistakes should not occur intentionally.

William Troost-Ekong wrote: “Power of social media. Our plane is being fueled as we speak, and we should be leaving for Nigeria shortly. Thanks for everyone’s support!

“I REITERATE: We would NEVER treat a guest nation for a game in this way. Mistakes happen, and delays happen. But never on purpose!”