Eleven Nigerian military personnel remained in Burkina Faso several days after their cargo plane made what Burkinabé authorities described as an “unauthorised” landing in Bobo Dioulasso, deepening confusion in an unfolding diplomatic dispute. Officials in Ouagadougou told the BBC the service members had been released and given permission to return to Nigeria, but Abuja maintained the matter was not yet resolved. The Nigerian daily Punch quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa saying the embassy in Ouagadougou was engaging with host authorities to secure their release.
The incident began on Monday when a Nigerian Air Force C-130 flying from Lagos to Portugal diverted to Bobo Dioulasso because of technical concerns. Burkina Faso, a member of the three-state Alliance of Sahel States (AES), called the unscheduled arrival an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law.” Nigeria’s air force said the diversion followed standard safety procedures, that the crew had been treated courteously, and that plans were underway to resume the mission in line with international aviation protocols.
The unexpected landing fuelled conspiracy theories online and offline, in part because it occurred within 24 hours of Nigerian troops helping to thwart a coup attempt in neighbouring Benin. The episode comes against the backdrop of the AES—Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—having formally left the larger Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) in January and formed their own military alliance, straining regional ties.