Tunisian Pilot Reveals Libyan Authorities Ordered Diversion of Super Eagles Team Flight to Different Location

The Tunisian pilot of the chartered ValueJet plane carrying the Nigerian Super Eagles football team to Libya has stated that he was instructed by Libyan authorities to divert the aircraft to a different location.

According to the pilot, the original flight plan was approved to land in Benghazi, Libya.

However, as they approached their destination, officials unexpectedly directed them to divert to another airport.

“The flight plan was to land in Benghazi. We got the approval from the Libyan civil aviation authority that we were approved to land,” the pilot explained.

“But unfortunately, when we started the descent, they asked us to divert to Mitiga, which is almost 150 miles (300 km) away. This was not even our alternate airport.”

The pilot stated that he warned the officials that the diversion would significantly impact their fuel reserves and could compromise the safety of the flight.

“I asked them several times, at least eight times, and I warned them that I would be in trouble for the fuel situation,” the pilot recounted. “They said it was from the highest authority and that we had to divert to Mitiga immediately.”

The pilot ultimately complied with the directive, and fortunately, the aircraft landed safely in Mitiga without any issues.

“Even the airport in Mitiga was not well-equipped. There was no ILS, no other approach aids, so we had to land visually,” the pilot said. “It was our first and last chance with this changing company, and I know the area very well, but it was not an easy matter at all.”

“This is our flight plan. We cannot hide anything. There is a lot of cross-checking and redundancy in aviation, so they cannot hide this information or say anything other than the truth,” the pilot stated.

This revelation comes just hours after Super Eagles players reported mistreatment by Libyan authorities prior to their Tuesday match, which they ultimately boycotted after being stranded at the airport for 20 hours.

In a series of tweets early Monday morning, Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong described the situation as “disgraceful,” accusing the hosts of playing “mind games.”

He revealed that the team was kept in an abandoned airport with no access to food, water, or phone connections.

Nigeria had defeated Libya 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, October 11. Both teams were scheduled to play the return leg in Libya on October 15.