The midfielder was substituted less than 30 minutes after he was introduced as a second half substitute in the 0-0 draw with Swaziland on Friday.
Head coach of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh has now revealed that the decision to hook the Trencín man was not tactical.
“Rabiu got onto the pitch and unfortunately hurt his knee after a few minutes.
“He felt some pain and I thought it wise to substitute him.
“Ordinarily, he would have finished the game,” Oliseh told supersport.com.
The Eagles’ coach added that the injury to the midfielder affected his game plan and revealed that it was highly unlikely he will be fit to play on Tuesday.
“It was saddening because it destabilized our (final) push. We wanted to win the game.
“I don’t think he will play on Tuesday. He will work with the Doctors on Sunday, see what the problem is and we will eventually find out what happened,” he said.
The 25-year-old has played five times by Nigeria at senior level.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate