Super Eagles land in Uyo after mid-air scare
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have arrived in Uyo ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash against the Benin Republic. Their safe arrival was announced in a post on Sunday via the X handle of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). They were said to have touched down safely at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, at 8:05 a.m. local time.
The post read, “The @NGSuperEagles have finally arrived Uyo after a delay in Luanda, Angola due to issues with the aircraft conveying them back home after the win over Lesotho. Now to get one over Benin! Yes. We can.” This comes after a tense 24-hour travel delay caused by a mid-air emergency involving their chartered ValueJet aircraft.
The same aircraft had earlier transported part of the team’s delegation to Polokwane on Thursday night, arriving on Friday morning. NFF stated that during the return journey, after a scheduled refuelling stop in Luanda, the aircraft developed the fault shortly after take-off. The Federation had earlier blamed the emergency landing on a cracked windscreen. “However, after a routine refuelling stop in Luanda, Angola (where the plane also stopped to refuel on Thursday night, and where the same plane had stopped to refuel to and from Bloemfontein in South Africa for the Matchday 8 encounter between the Super Eagles and the Bafana Bafana last month).
“The aircraft suffered a cracked windscreen mid-air after take-off, and the pilot did well to guide the aeroplane safely back to the airport in Luanda,” the NFF said. NFF also said plans were being made for another aircraft to fly from Lagos and pick up the delegation in Luanda.
