Eleven Nigerian military officers were held for questioning in Burkina Faso after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft made an emergency landing without prior clearance, triggering a sharp response from the military governments that now rule much of the Sahel.
The incident occurred on Monday when a Nigerian Air Force C 130 transport plane entered Burkinabè airspace and landed in the western city of Bobo Dioulasso. Burkina Faso authorities said the aircraft did not have authorization to fly over its territory, a claim that Nigeria disputes.
The episode has added fresh strain to already tense relations between Nigeria and the Alliance of Sahel States, a bloc made up of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. It comes against the backdrop of worsening political rifts in West Africa following a wave of military takeovers and the withdrawal of the three Sahel countries from the Ecowas regional bloc.
Burkinabè security sources told the BBC that all 11 Nigerian officers on board were detained after the landing while authorities investigated what they described as a breach of national sovereignty.
Burkina Faso’s minister of territorial administration, Emile Zerbo, said the aircraft entered the country’s airspace without authorization. In a joint statement, the military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger said an investigation confirmed “the violation of its airspace and the sovereignty of its member states.”
The statement described the landing as an “unfriendly act” and said the three countries had placed their air forces on high alert, authorizing them to “neutralize any aircraft” that violates the bloc’s shared airspace.
According to that statement, the aircraft was carrying two crew members and nine passengers, all of them Nigerian military officers.
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Nigeria’s account sharply differs. In a statement, the Nigerian Air Force said the plane was en route to Portugal when it developed a technical fault that forced an unscheduled landing in line with aviation safety procedures.
The NAF said Bobo Dioulasso was the nearest suitable airfield and added that the crew was safe and receiving “cordial treatment from the host authorities.” The statement did not confirm whether the officers were formally detained.
The timing of the incident has drawn attention from regional analysts. Political observers have linked it to Nigeria’s recent leadership of an Ecowas military deployment to Benin following a reported attempted coup there. Nigeria contributed troops and aircraft to support Beninese authorities and suppress the mutiny.
Earlier this year, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger formally left Ecowas, accusing the bloc of political interference and failing to address their security concerns. The three countries rejected repeated regional demands to restore civilian rule after their respective coups.
Since then, the Sahel states have reduced ties with Western partners, particularly France, and moved closer to Russia on security and military cooperation, according to reporting by Reuters and the BBC.
The Nigerian Air Force said preparations were under way to continue the aircraft’s mission to Portugal once clearance is granted. Meanwhile, Burkina Faso and its allies have not publicly said how long the investigation will last or when the detained officers might be released.