‘We felt as though we were taken hostage:’ Simon Moses reveals harrowing experiences he and his colleagues went through in Al Abraq, Libya

FC Nantes forward, Moses Simon has compared the situation in the Libyan airport to a hostage situation after he and his Super Eagles colleagues were left in a local airport for almost 20 hours without food, drinks and internet access.

The Super Eagles were scheduled to play the Mediterranean Knights of Libya on Tuesday and the Nigerian team were due to arrive in Benghazi, second-most-populous city in Libya on Sunday night in a ValueJet chartered aircraft but their plane was diverted to Al Abraq town which is approximately 195 kilometers (about 121 miles) away from Benghazi.

‘We felt as though we were taken hostage. When we arrived, there was no one. We ended up saying that we would have to sleep there. The federation had, however, managed to find us a hotel but it was forbidden for the Nigerians! We stayed there, without a bed without food or water, in the middle of the mosquitos,’ Simon told L’Équipe.

The Nantes star added that everyone was ‘scared’ about the situation. ‘When you see that they’re blocking the road, locking the doors in the airport, naturally you worry that something is going to happen to you,’ he said.

The Super Eagles decided to boycott the match and called on the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) to look into the barbaric and inhuman treatment meted to them by the Libyans.

CAF has responded by stating it ‘views the disturbing and unacceptable experiences of the Nigerian National Football Team (‘Super Eagles’) at an airport in Libya in a very serious light.

‘The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,’ said CAF in a statement.

The Super Eagles have since returned to Nigeria.