The Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed the release of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft and the 11 personnel detained in Burkina Faso after a precautionary landing triggered diplomatic tension between both countries.
Okay News reports that the confirmation came late Wednesday from Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who stated simply, “Yes, they have been released.”
The announcement followed a high-level visit to Ouagadougou by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who met directly with Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Ibrahim Traoré, to resolve the standoff.
Tuggar explained that the mission was undertaken at the instance of President Bola Tinubu, reflecting Abuja’s urgency to bring the incident to a close.
The Air Force aircraft, a C 130 transport plane, had been en route to Portugal on a scheduled ferry mission when it made what officials described as a mandatory safety stop.
The aircraft landed in Bobo Dioulasso after the crew “observed a technical issue” and performed a precautionary landing, according to Air Force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame.
Ejodame noted that the actions taken by the pilots were “in line with international aviation protocols” and standard practice during long range military ferry operations.
Despite this, tension escalated when Assimi Goita, Mali’s junta leader speaking on behalf of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), labelled the landing “an unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law.”
He went further to claim that AES member states were authorised to neutralise any aircraft violating their airspace.
