Federal Govt confirms release of NAF Aircraft, 11 Soldiers detained in Burkina Faso
Federal Govt confirms release of NAF Aircraft, 11 Soldiers detained in Burkina Faso
The Federal Government has confirmed that a Nigerian Air Force aircraft and the 11 military personnel onboard have been released by authorities in Burkina Faso following their detention after an emergency landing.
The confirmation was given on Wednesday night by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, who stated that both the aircraft and the soldiers had been cleared and allowed to depart.
Ebienfa’s disclosure followed a diplomatic engagement earlier in the day between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, in Ouagadougou.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Tuggar said the visit was undertaken on the directive of President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to resolve the situation through diplomatic channels.
The incident occurred nearly two weeks ago when a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft, en route to Portugal on a ferry mission, made an unscheduled landing in Bobo-Dioulasso due to a technical issue.
According to the Nigerian Air Force Director of Public Relations, Ehimen Ejodame, the crew detected a fault mid-flight and executed a precautionary landing at the nearest available airfield in line with established international aviation safety procedures.
Despite the explanation, the landing attracted regional attention after Mali’s military leader, Assimi Goïta, speaking on behalf of the Confederation of Sahel States, described the incident as an unfriendly act and warned that member states were authorised to take action against aircraft deemed to have violated their airspace.
