Olayiwola Matthew
Libya’s CAF Exco member, Abdul Hakim Al-Shalmani has voiced out his disappointment over the testimony of the pilot who flew the ValuJet aircraft that took the Nigerian delegation to the botched Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match earlier this October.
Libya’s CAF Exco member, Abdul Hakim Al-Shalmani has threatened to sue ValueJet pilot for giving evidence in Nigeria’s favour
Captain, Abdellatif Merchergui, a Tunisian pilot who flew the ValueJet aircraft was a key witness Nigeria presented at the hearing of the episode.
He is the Acting Head of Flight Operation at ValueJet.
Al-Shalmani who is not an aviation expert, described Merchergui’s testimony as “false and slanderous,” noting that the pilot provided testimony that served his Nigeria’s interests “instead of adhering to diplomatic relations between the two neighbouring countries of Libya and Tunisia.”
He has threatened to follow-up with legal action against Merchergui, as an official memorandum of complaint will be filed against the Tunisian pilot who, according to Al-Shalmani, “violated the rules of integrity and honesty.”
He also claimed that Nigeria latched on the fame of its star-studded squad to sway global support for the Super Eagles.
According to Libya Akhbar publication, Al-Shalmani pointed out that the Nigerian team exploited the fame of its professional players in international leagues to create the impression that they were victims of Libyan attacks or conspiracies.
Despite this media pressure, Al-Shalmani expressed his denunciation of this strategy, stressing that the facts on the ground are completely different from those that the Nigerian team is trying to present. He added: “What the Nigerians are trying to portray as injustice on our part is in fact an attempt to cover up the truth, as the testimony presented was completely false.”