Burkina Faso government, on Thursday, released the 11 Nigerian AirForce pilots and crew members, along with their military jet, following high-level talks in Ouagadougou with the country’s authorities.
The Nigerian delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, held a meeting with the country’s military leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday and delivered a message of solidarity from President Bola Tinubu.
Spokesperson of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa,
confirmed in a Whatsapp message that the detained officers and crew members had been released.
Last week, the 11 crew members and their aircraft were detained by Burkina Faso’s military after making what Nigeria described as an “emergency landing” due to technical problems while en route to Portugal.
But Ebienfa dismissed the claim, accusing Nigeria of violating the country’s territorial airspace.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — also weighed in, accusing Nigeria of breaching the airspace of one of its member countries.
In a statement signed by Alkasim Abdulkadir, Special Assistant on Media to the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, the ministry confirmed that the Nigerian delegation met with the detained officers and crew, who were said to be in high spirits.
The talks, according to the statement, also focused on advancing political, security and economic cooperation, with emphasis on coordinated responses to regional security challenges and collective action through sub-regional frameworks.
Traoré welcomed the Nigerian delegation and expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the goodwill message.
He reaffirmed Burkina Faso’s commitment to stronger ties with Nigeria, stressing the importance of closer collaboration in tackling shared security and development challenges across the Sahel and West Africa.
“We value the long-standing ties between Nigeria and Burkina Faso and believe stronger cooperation is vital for peace and development in our region,” Traoré was quoted as saying.
On his part, Ambassador Tuggar reiterated Nigeria’s readiness to work closely with Burkina Faso in advancing stability and development.
“President Tinubu is committed to good neighbourliness and sustained engagement with Burkina Faso,” he said.
Both sides agreed to sustain regular consultations and pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration.
