The Federal Government has said discussions are still ongoing over the detention of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) C-130 aircraft and 11 soldiers by the government of Burkina Faso, noting that they have yet to be released.
The aircraft and its crew were seized on Monday after the plane made what the Nigerian Air Force described as a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, while en route to Portugal for maintenance due to a technical fault.
While the NAF maintained that the landing was necessary for safety reasons, authorities in Burkina Faso and the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) accused the aircraft of entering their airspace without clearance, prompting the decision to force the military plane to land.
Speaking on the matter on Tuesday, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the Federal Government was actively engaging Burkinabe authorities to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels.
“We are engaging them, but they are yet to be released,” Ebienfa said.
He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken over negotiations to ensure the safe release of both the aircraft and the detained Nigerian military personnel. Following the takeover of talks by the ministry, the Nigerian Air Force has remained silent on the development.
Although the government has not disclosed details of the ongoing negotiations, retired NAF pilots contacted by Vanguard cautioned against speculation, noting that premature conclusions could undermine diplomatic efforts.
“In situations like this, speculating without full facts may jeopardise government-to-government discussions and create avoidable risks,” one retired officer said on condition of anonymity.
Vanguard, however, gathered that Burkina Faso and other Sahel states, including Mali and Niger, may be using the incident as a bargaining tool in their strained relations with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), from which they were suspended following military coups.
A retired officer suggested that economic pressure resulting from ECOWAS sanctions and strained relations with Western partners may have contributed to the situation.
“They believe Nigeria has significant influence within ECOWAS and may be using this incident to seek negotiations, economic relief or assistance,” the officer said, stressing that the view was a personal opinion.
Negotiations between Nigerian and Burkinabe authorities are ongoing.
