Burkina Faso Frees Detained Nigerian Air Force Crew After Tinubu’s Envoy Meets Junta Leader Traoré

The detention followed sharp accusations by the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), which described the aircraft’s landing as an unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law, raising diplomatic tensions between Abuja and the Sahelian bloc.

Burkina Faso has released Nigerian soldiers who were detained after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country, following high-level diplomatic intervention by President Bola Tinubu.

The soldiers, comprising NAF pilots and crew members, regained their freedom after Tinubu dispatched a delegation led by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to Ouagadougou on Wednesday for talks with Burkina Faso’s military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

In a statement issued by Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for the foreign affairs minister, the Nigerian and Burkinabè authorities amicably resolved the issue surrounding the detained air force personnel, who had been held for nearly two weeks.

The detention followed sharp accusations by the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), which described the aircraft’s landing as an unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law, raising diplomatic tensions between Abuja and the Sahelian bloc.

However, the Nigerian Air Force countered the claim, insisting that the aircraft developed a technical fault mid-flight, forcing the crew to make a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, which was identified as the nearest suitable airfield.

According to the NAF, the decision was taken strictly in line with international aviation standards and established safety protocols.

However, Wednesday’s closed-door talks between Nigerian and Burkinabè officials were held in Ouagadougou, where Tuggar reportedly conveyed a message of “solidarity and fraternity” from President Tinubu to Traoré.

Abdulkadir said discussions extended beyond the immediate dispute, focusing on strengthening political, security and economic cooperation between both countries, amid worsening insecurity across the Sahel.

According to him, the talks placed particular emphasis on coordinated responses to regional security challenges 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,” Abdulkadir said.

The Nigerian delegation to Burkina Faso included Mohammed Mohammed, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Air Vice Marshal A.Y. Abdullahi, Chief of Policy and Plans at the NAF; Ambassador Olawale Awe, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); and Wahab Akande, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The release of the detained soldiers appears to have eased a potentially explosive diplomatic standoff at a time when relations between ECOWAS states and the AES bloc remain fragile.