The Federal Government has successfully secured the release of a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft and 11 military personnel, ending a nearly two-week detention in Burkina Faso that had escalated into a significant diplomatic incident between the two West African nations.
Mr. Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the release, stating, “Yes, they have been released.” This outcome followed a high-level diplomatic mission to Ouagadougou led by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yusuf Tuggar, who met directly with Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
The incident began approximately two weeks earlier when the Nigerian C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, en route to Portugal on a ferry mission, experienced technical difficulties. The crew executed a precautionary landing at the nearest available airfield in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second-largest city. The Nigerian Air Force’s Director of Public Relations, Mr. Ehimen Ejodame, clarified that the landing was conducted in strict compliance with international aviation protocols for in-flight emergencies.
However, the response from regional authorities was severe. Captain Assimi Goïta, the military leader of Mali and chairman of the Alliance of Sahel States, denounced the landing as an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law.” He issued a stern warning that member states of the confederation—Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—were authorized to neutralize aircraft violating their airspace, dramatically raising regional tensions.
Minister Tuggar explained that the diplomatic intervention was undertaken at the direct instruction of President Bola Tinubu, underscoring the government’s commitment to a peaceful resolution. The successful negotiation highlights the critical importance of maintained diplomatic channels, particularly during a period of complex political realignment in the region.
The diplomatic resolution arrives amidst heightened sensitivities over airspace sovereignty in the Sahel. The three nations of the Alliance of Sahel States have coordinated their security policies closely following military coups and their subsequent withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The release of the aircraft and personnel removes a potential flashpoint in West African relations and stands as a demonstration of how bilateral engagement can resolve interstate disputes. Questions regarding the resolution of the aircraft’s technical issues and its planned onward journey remain unanswered.