The Federal Government has expressed uncertainty over the current status of the 11 Nigerian soldiers and the aircraft detained in Burkina Faso, casting doubt on reports that they have departed for Portugal.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this while giving an update on the situation.
According to Vanguard, Ebienfa said although the Burkinabè authorities had released both the personnel and the aircraft, it remained unclear whether they had actually taken off from Burkina Faso.
He confirmed that the soldiers were scheduled to proceed to Portugal following their release but explained that a technical issue delayed their departure.
According to Ebienfa, the aircraft developed another technical fault shortly after it was released, forcing the crew to halt preparations for takeoff.
“I do not know if they have left,” he said.
“They were taxing to take off, then they discovered something. They had another technical problem, so they had to stop to fix it.
“So, I am waiting for an update from them. I will confirm that if they have departed. But they are going to Portugal, not Nigeria; that was their original destination.”
Recall that the Burkinabè authorities released the detained soldiers and the aircraft following the intervention of a high-level Nigerian delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar.
The delegation met with Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, in Ouagadougou.
The meeting reportedly resolved the standoff, with both countries agreeing to strengthen bilateral cooperation and regional integration.
The delegation was led by Tuggar and included the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; the Chief of Policy and Plans of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal A. Abdullahi; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Olawale Awe; and the Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Wahab Akande.
The Nigerian soldiers were detained for more than 10 days after their C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing at Bobo-Dioulasso while on a ferry mission to Portugal, citing a technical failure.
However, Burkinabè authorities disputed the claim, alleging that the aircraft entered their airspace without authorisation.
The unauthorised landing triggered a diplomatic row involving the Alliance of Sahel States, comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
In a statement, the AES described the incident as an unfriendly act and said member states’ air forces had been placed on maximum alert and authorised to neutralise any aircraft found to violate the confederation’s airspace.