Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Military Officers, Aircraft after Emergency Landing Saga

Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian military personnel earlier detained after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) C-130 Hercules aircraft made an emergency landing at the Bobo-Dioulasso airfield, a stop Burkinabè authorities insisted was unauthorised.

The detained group, made up of two crew members and nine passengers, was held for interrogation following concerns that the flight might be linked to the recent failed coup attempt in neighbouring Benin Republic. The officers were later cleared of wrongdoing and have since returned safely to Nigeria.

While Nigerian authorities maintained that the aircraft diverted due to a technical fault en route to Portugal, officials in Ouagadougou asserted that the plane entered Burkinabè airspace without prior clearance, prompting an immediate security response.

Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Émile Zerbo, said the government acted “strictly in line with national security protocols.”

In a joint declaration, the military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), described the incident as a breach of sovereign airspace and an “unfriendly act,” adding that the development placed their air forces on heightened alert.

The Nigerian Air Force, however, reiterated that the crew complied with international aviation safety norms and noted that its personnel were treated with respect while in custody.