Eleven Nigerian soldiers and their aircraft have departed from Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, after their release following 10 days in detention.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, announced this to journalists in Abuja on Friday.
“The Nigerian military aircraft and 11 crew members have taken off from Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, a few minutes ago.
“Bravo to the Embassy of Nigeria in Burkina Faso and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja,” he stated.
He further informed journalists that the aircraft is set to first fly to Ghana before re-routing to Portugal, as it was denied permission to traverse Malian airspace.
“The aircraft will fly to Ghana and from there re-route the flight plan to Portugal. They were not granted a permit to fly over Malian airspace, so they had to re-plan the route,” he elaborated.
The soldiers were detained after their aircraft made an unscheduled landing in Bobo-Dioulasso on December 8 due to a technical issue shortly after departing Lagos en route to Portugal.
Burkina Faso’s military authorities held the personnel and aircraft over alleged airspace violations, characterizing the incident as a breach of sovereignty.
Investigations by the Confederation of Sahel States and Burkinabe officials reportedly indicated that the aircraft lacked prior authorization to enter Burkinabe airspace.
Following several days of diplomatic negotiations, President Bola Tinubu dispatched a team led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to Ouagadougou to engage with Burkinabe authorities.
On Wednesday night, Ebienfa confirmed the release to The PUNCH.
“The soldiers have been released. I just confirmed with our Head of Mission in Burkina Faso,” he stated.
The Nigerian Air Force assured everyone that the crew remained safe and were treated courteously during their detention. It also emphasized that the precautionary landing was executed in line with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.
