Burkina Faso frees detained Nigerian soldiers

The 11 Nigerian military officials on board the C-130 aircraft that made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso have been released.

The soldiers were held last week by Burkinabe authorities over what they described as violations of their airspace.

Their release Wednesday night comes about nine days after their arrest.

The spokesperson of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, confirmed that the officials were released on Wednesday.

Mr Ebienfa told PREMIUM TIMES that the detained soldiers were released after a high-level Nigerian delegation visited Burkina Faso.

The delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, met with the government of Burkina Faso to resolve the disagreement over the emergency landing.

According to a statement issued by the minister’s spokesperson, Alkasim Abdulkadir, both countries have now resolved the issue.

“In the spirit of constructive engagement, the two governments amicably resolved the issue concerning Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew, reinforcing confidence and highlighting the effectiveness of dialogue in addressing sensitive matters,” the statement read.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Alliance of Sahel States accused Nigeria of violating the airspace of Burkina Faso. The AES, which includes Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, claimed that the emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso, a city in the south-west of Burkina Faso, constituted an infringement of national sovereignty.

But, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) denied this, clarifying that the aircraft landed in Burkina Faso for safety reasons and “in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.”

The air force said the crew of the NAF C-130 aircraft “observed a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, the nearest airfield.” The air force said the aircraft was travelling to Portugal before the emergency landing.

Last week, Mr Tuggar said that the aircraft landing in Burkina Faso was unrelated to Nigeria’s intervention in the recent military coup in Benin.

He also noted that at the time, the soldiers were still being held in the West African country, but talks to resolve the matter were ongoing.

“We are discussing how we can resolve this delicate matter as quickly as possible, and we’re talking. So it’s something that is being handled diplomatically,” he had said.