Nigeria’s senior women national team, the Super Falcons, were on Thursday allegedly harassed by officers of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC). 

The Super Falcons were returning to the country after defeating their Ivory Coast counterparts in an African Women’s Cup of Nations qualifier in Abidjan. 

The incident which occurred in the early hours of Thursday, February 24, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, saw many of the players crying.

It was reported that the NCDC officials refused to allow the team into the country until the verification of their COVID-19 tests were conducted. 

The players had all been tested in Abidjan before taking off from Ivory Coast, with all the test results returning negative.

This left the players bemused as to why the NCDC officials chose to keep them at the airport for so long, with reports claiming that a few of them fainted. 

Many could not hide their frustrations as they burst into tears, as seen in videos now circulating on social media.

The players were eventually allowed full entry into the country at about 4:10 a.m.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is yet to comment on the incident.

Victory in Abidjan ensured that the Super Falcons sealed their place in this year’s AWCON tournament to be held in Morocco, with the possibility of World Cup qualification also on the cards.

The Falcons beat Ivory Coast 2-0 in the first leg in Nigeria last week before defeating them 1-0 away from home.