At least 11 Nigerian military personnel who were on board Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft are currently being detained by Burkina Faso for what has been described as an alleged violation of the country’s airspace.
WuzupNigeria gathered that the Nigerian aircraft the aircraft with two crew members and nine passengers onboard, was forced to land in Bobo Dioulasso on Monday following an in-flight emergency landing while operating in Burkinabe airspace.
The incident was disclosed by the state-run Agence d’Information du Burkina, which published a statement from the Confederation of Sahel States.
However, Burkinabe authorities said a subsequent investigation “highlighted the absence of authorisation to fly over the territory of Burkina Faso for this military device,” describing the episode as a breach of airspace and sovereign regulations.
The AES, which comprises Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, strongly condemned the incident, calling it a “violation of the confederal airspace.” The bloc said its air and anti-air defence systems had been placed on “maximum alert,” adding that member states are now authorised to “neutralise any aircraft” that enters their airspace without clearance.
The incident occurred shortly after Nigerian military forces reportedly intervened in the neighbouring Benin Republic following a failed coup attempt.
As of the time of filing this report, Nigerian authorities had not issued an official statement on the aircraft’s diversion, the nature of the in-flight emergency, or whether flight clearance had been sought.
The status of the detained personnel and the grounded aircraft also remains unclear.
