Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian military personnel who were held after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made an unexpected landing at the Bobo-Dioulasso airfield, an action the Burkinabe authorities initially tagged as unauthorised.
The officers—two crew members and nine passengers—were detained for security screening after officials in Ouagadougou raised concerns that the flight could be linked to the recent failed coup attempt in neighbouring Benin Republic.
Following investigations, the group was cleared and has now returned to Nigeria.
Nigerian authorities maintained that the aircraft was en route to Portugal when it was forced to make a technical emergency landing.
However, officials in Burkina Faso insisted the transport plane entered their airspace without authorisation, prompting what they described as a routine national security response.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, defended the detention, saying the move aligned with the country’s security protocols.
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In a joint statement, the military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—condemned the incident as a violation of sovereign airspace and termed it an “unfriendly act.” The bloc, which recently pulled out of ECOWAS, said the episode placed their air forces on heightened alert.
The Nigerian Air Force said its personnel adhered to international aviation safety procedures and noted that the detained officers were treated with respect throughout the process.
The incident marks another strain in the increasingly delicate relationship between Nigeria and the AES coalition.