Burkina Faso releases 11 Nigerian troops but military plane, after ‘unauthorised’ plane landing

By OUR REPORTER

A source from Ouagadougou, Burkinabe capital, said the country would not release the aircraft until after technical and security checks are ascertained. Beyond what the Nigerian government told its public, the source revealed that the reason it gave for the unauthorised entry is not really trusted considering that under the same President Bola Tinubu’s indefensible alliance the (enemy) France had tried invasion to bring down the military governments of Niger and now Burkina Faso.

Authorities in Burkina Faso have released 11 Nigerian military personnel held after a cargo plane from Lagos made an “unauthorised” emergency landing in its second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso.

The DEFENDER reports that the release, however, excluded release of the Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft seized by the Ibrahim Traore’s government.

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which Burkina Faso is member, said on Monday December 8, 2025 that the C-130 aircraft had entered the member country’s airspace without clearance, calling it an “unfriendly act”.

Burkina Faso authorities said the two crew members and nine passengers were given permission to return to Nigeria but the military aircraft was not known to have been released as at the time of filing this report night of Wednesday December 10.

Authorities in Nigeria said on Tuesday that the plane had made an emergency landing at the Bobo-Dioulasso airport due to technical issues on its way to Portugal for a ferry mission, citing standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols”.

A source from Ouagadougou, Burkinabe capital, said the country would not release the aircraft until after technical and security checks are ascertained.

Beyond what the Nigerian government told its public, the source revealed that the reason it gave for the unauthorised entry is not really trusted considering that under the same President Bola Tinubu’s indefensible alliance the (enemy) France had tried invasion to bring down the military governments of Niger and now Burkina Faso.

“If you claim it was technical fault that led you to encroaching into the airspace you are not authorised for and making emergency landing as you said, now that you want your plane to be released and wanting to continue with your son called ferry mission in wherever, have technical issues on the plane been fixed and who are the technical experts that fixed them?”, he questioned.

Ehimen Ejodame, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, neither confirmed nor denied comments about authorisation, or the lack of it, to make the landing but said an investigation into the incident was continuing.

He reportedly said the military personnel had been treated well by their hosts and that plans were under way to continue the mission. On Sunday, a domestic test flight in Niger State, North West Nigeria had also crashed, with both pilots surviving.

The timing of the emergency landing on Monday intensified regional scrutiny, coming a day after Nigerian airstrikes at a military camp in neighbouring Benin, where some military personnel linked to a foiled coup were reportedly in hiding.

A spokesperson for the government in Abuja said Nigeria acted in line with protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), following a request from Beninoise authorities after soldiers briefly seized the national broadcaster and announced the removal of the president, Patrice Talon.

Omar Touray, president of the Ecowas Commission has said the region is in a state of emergency, referencing the fragility of democratic institutions and security challenges facing member states.

“Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community,” he told the bloc’s mediation and security council during a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

The AES split from Ecowas in January, accusing the larger bloc of interventions after military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger that pushed them away from traditional western allies and closer to Russia.