Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has confirmed that the Nigerian military personnel aboard a Nigeria Air Force (NAF) aircraft that made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso have not yet returned to the country.
Tuggar made the disclosure on Thursday at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja during a joint press interaction with his Beninese counterpart, Olushegun Bakari.
The incident occurred on Monday after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) — the bloc formed by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — alleged that an aircraft transporting 11 Nigerian soldiers had breached Burkinabe airspace.
Mali’s junta leader, Assimi Goita, had described the unscheduled landing as an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law”, while the AES said it had authorised member states to neutralise any aircraft that strayed into their airspace without clearance.
The episode unfolded just as Nigerian forces conducted air operations in neighbouring Benin to help thwart a coup attempt.
Responding to the controversy, the Nigerian Air Force explained that the C-130 aircraft had been en route to Portugal on a ferry mission when the crew observed a technical issue. According to NAF spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame, the team made a precautionary landing at the nearest available airport in Bobo-Dioulasso, in line with aviation safety procedures and international norms.
Unconfirmed reports later suggested the Nigerian officers on board were detained and subsequently released by Burkinabe authorities.
Tuggar, however, stated that diplomatic discussions are ongoing with Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Ibrahim Traoré, over the matter.
“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 said.
Asked directly whether the personnel were still in Burkina Faso, the minister answered: “Yes, they are”.
Benin’s foreign minister, Bakari, also clarified that the aircraft incident had no connection to the assistance Nigeria provided to foil the attempted coup in his country — a position Tuggar affirmed.
“Absolutely, it was on its way to Portugal and it developed a technical problem and was forced to land,” Tuggar said.
He added that emergency landings were routine under global aviation rules:“And this is part of ICAO regulations, it’s under international law. When you’re flying and you have a problem, you land in the nearest airport, and it can happen to anybody. Tomorrow, it can be a Burkinabe plane flying, let’s say, to Kenya or somewhere, and then it’s forced to land in Kano or Maiduguri or anywhere else. It can be any other country.”
Tuggar expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved swiftly through diplomatic engagement.
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