Relief has come for Nigeria as Burkina Faso released the Nigerian soldiers detained after their aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country, following high-level diplomatic intervention by President Bola Tinubu.
The breakthrough came after Tinubu dispatched a delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to meet Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday.
A statement issued by Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s spokesperson, said the matter involving the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew was amicably resolved by both countries.
The soldiers had been held for nearly two weeks after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) described the aircraft’s landing as an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law”.
However, the Nigerian Air Force insisted the landing was purely precautionary, explaining that the crew detected a technical issue and diverted to Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest airfield in Burkina Faso, in line with global aviation safety standards.
Earlier reports suggesting the soldiers had been freed were dismissed last week by Tuggar, who told TheCable that the personnel were still in custody while diplomatic efforts continued.
The release followed intense talks held on Wednesday in Ouagadougou between Nigerian and Burkinabe officials.
Abdulkadir said Tuggar conveyed a message of solidarity and fraternity from Tinubu to Traoré, as both sides reviewed ways to deepen bilateral relations and strengthen regional integration.
He added that the discussions focused on boosting political, security, and economic cooperation, particularly coordinated responses to regional security threats and collective action through existing sub-regional frameworks.
“Both sides agreed to sustain regular consultations and pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration, reflecting a shared resolve to promote peace, unity, and stability in the sub-region,” the minister’s aide said in a statement.
The Nigerian delegation included Mohammed Mohammed, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); A. Y. Abdullahi, Chief of Policy and Plans, NAF; Olawale Awe, Permanent Representative to ECOWAS; and Wahab Akande, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
