Military personnel told they can return to Nigeria after actions described as ‘unfriendly act’
Authorities in Burkina Faso have released 11 Nigerian military personnel held after a cargo plane from Lagos made an “unauthorised” emergency landing in its second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso.
The breakaway regional Association of Sahel States (AES) said on Monday that the C-130 aircraft had entered Burkina Faso’s airspace without clearance, calling it an “unfriendly act”.
Burkina Faso authorities said the two crew members and nine passengers were given permission to return to Nigeria but it remains unclear whether the aircraft was also released.
Authorities in Nigeria said on Tuesday that the plane had made an unplanned stop at the Bobo-Dioulasso airport “in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols” due to a technical concern on its way to Portugal for a ferry mission.
