Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian military officers who were detained after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) C-130 transport aircraft made what authorities described as an unauthorised landing in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso on Monday.
According to Business Insider, the officers—comprising two crew members and nine military passengers—were cleared and allowed to return to Nigeria on Tuesday following security checks amid suspicions they were linked to efforts to counter the recent coup attempt in Benin Republic.
Nigeria maintained that the C-130 had only performed a technical emergency landing while en route to Portugal. But Burkinabè officials disputed this claim, arguing that the aircraft violated the country’s aviation protocols by entering its airspace without clearance.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, said the unexpected arrival activated a swift security operation.
“The aircraft flew into Burkina Faso without clearance,” he said, adding that defence and intelligence units responded immediately.
Later on Monday, the military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—partners under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) —issued a strongly worded joint statement describing the incident as a “violation of its airspace and sovereignty.” The bloc condemned the action as *unfriendly* and announced that their air forces were on maximum alert with orders to neutralise any aircraft breaching AES-controlled airspace.
Despite the tense rhetoric, Burkinabè security officials told the BBC that the Nigerian officers were only questioned before being cleared to depart.
The Nigerian Air Force, in a diplomatic response, said the diversion was necessitated by a technical malfunction in line with international aviation safety rules. It confirmed that the personnel were safe and treated courteously, though it declined to specify whether there had been a formal detention.
Relations between Nigeria and the AES military governments have worsened over the past year. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have repeatedly accused Nigeria of overstepping its role in regional security engagements—particularly in Benin, where Nigeria has supported operations following coup threats.
The three juntas withdrew from ECOWAS earlier this year, criticizing the bloc—led largely by Nigeria—of political interference and inadequate action against jihadist insurgencies. Since then, the AES alliance has strengthened internal ties, expelled several Western partners including France, and moved closer to Russia for military cooperation.
In a related development, Niger announced new restrictions on goods entering from Nigeria, citing intensified security concerns.
Colonel Mohamed Yacouba Siddo ordered that:
All goods originating from Nigeria must be unloaded and inspected at the entry offices before any transit formalities.”
The move signals growing regional unease, even as diplomacy continues to be tested on multiple fronts.
