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11 Nigerian military personnel released after unscheduled Air Force C-130 landing in Burkina Faso.
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Incident raises AES tensions as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger label it a breach of sovereign airspace.
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Nigeria stresses emergency landing and adherence to international aviation safety rules.
Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian military personnel who were detained following the unscheduled landing of a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft at Bobo-Dioulasso airfield, which Ouagadougou authorities described as unauthorized.
The detained group included two crew members and nine passengers.
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They were questioned amid suspicions that the flight might be linked to the recent failed coup in Benin Republic. After investigations, they were cleared of wrongdoing and safely returned to Nigeria.
Nigerian authorities maintained that the aircraft made a technical emergency landing while en route to Portugal. In contrast, Burkinabe officials said the plane entered their airspace without prior authorization, prompting a swift security response.
READ ALSO: Nigeria Confirms Air Force Crew ‘Safe’ After Emergency Landing in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, emphasized that the action was in line with national security protocols.
In a joint statement, the military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), described the incident as a violation of sovereign airspace and an “unfriendly act,” putting their airforces on high alert.
The Nigerian Air Force, however, highlighted that the crew adhered to international aviation safety procedures and were treated respectfully during the detention.
The episode has further strained relations between Nigeria and the AES, which recently withdrew from ECOWAS.
