Burkina Faso has released the 11 Nigerian military officers who were detained after their Nigerian Air Force (NAF) C-130 aircraft made what authorities described as an unauthorised landing in Bobo-Dioulasso on Monday.
According to Business Insider, the officers — two crew members and nine military passengers — were allowed to return to Nigeria after Burkinabè authorities completed preliminary security checks amid suspicions that the team may have been linked to Nigeria’s involvement in the Benin coup response.
The Nigerian government had maintained that the landing was purely a technical emergency while the aircraft was en route to Portugal. However, Burkina Faso countered this explanation, saying the aircraft violated national protocols by entering its airspace without permission.
Territorial Administration Minister Emile Zerbo said the unexpected arrival of the aircraft triggered an immediate and heightened security response.
“The aircraft flew into Burkina Faso without clearance,” Zerbo stated, noting that defence and intelligence units were deployed promptly to assess the situation.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — issued a joint statement late Monday describing the incident as a confirmed “airspace violation” and an “unfriendly act.” The bloc further announced that its air forces had been placed on maximum alert with orders to neutralise any aircraft that breached AES-controlled airspace.
Despite the strong language, Burkinabè security officials told the BBC that the Nigerian officers were questioned, cleared, and later permitted to leave.
The Nigerian Air Force, in its own account, stressed that a technical fault necessitated the diversion and that the emergency landing followed standard international aviation safety procedures. While the NAF confirmed its personnel were safe and treated respectfully, it did not directly acknowledge their detention.
The episode comes amid worsening relations between Nigeria and the AES governments. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — all under military rule — have repeatedly accused Nigeria of overstepping in regional security matters, particularly in Benin, where Nigeria has coordinated responses to coup attempts.
The three Sahel states formally withdrew from ECOWAS earlier this year, alleging political interference and the bloc’s inability to effectively tackle jihadist violence. Since then, they have strengthened military ties within the AES, distanced themselves from Western partners such as France, and expanded security cooperation with Russia.
In a related development, Niger has imposed new restrictions on goods entering from Nigeria, citing growing security concerns and suspicion over Nigerian military activities across the Sahel.
“For security requirements, all goods originating from Nigeria must be unloaded and inspected at the entry offices before any transit formalities,” announced Colonel Mohamed Yacouba Siddo in a Tuesday directive.
SaharaReporters had earlier revealed that Burkina Faso’s junta detained the 11 Nigerian officers and impounded the NAF C-130 after its emergency landing — an incident now adding to the escalating tension between Abuja and the Sahel military regimes.
