Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian military personnel who were detained after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) C-130 aircraft made an unscheduled landing at the Bobo-Dioulasso airfield—a move authorities in Ouagadougou labelled as unauthorised.
The detained group, comprising two crew members and nine passengers, was held for interrogation following suspicions that the flight might be linked to the recent failed coup attempt in Benin Republic. After investigations, they were cleared of wrongdoing and flown back to Nigeria.
While Nigerian officials maintained that the aircraft made a technical emergency landing en route to Portugal, Burkinabe authorities insisted that the plane entered their airspace without prior clearance, prompting a swift security response.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, stated that the country acted strictly in line with its national security protocols.
In a joint statement, the military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—condemned the incursion as a violation of sovereign airspace, describing it as an “unfriendly act.” The alliance also disclosed that the episode placed their air forces on heightened alert.
The Nigerian Air Force, however, noted that its crew adhered to international aviation safety procedures and confirmed that the personnel were treated with respect throughout the detention.
The incident adds fresh strain to already uneasy relations between Nigeria and the AES bloc, which recently announced its withdrawal from ECOWAS.
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