He explained that the aircraft “experienced a technical issue while on a flight to Portugal but was successfully repaired, allowing operations to continue.”
One of the 11 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel previously detained in Burkina Faso has confirmed that their aircraft made an emergency landing in the West African country due to a technical fault.
In a video shared by security expert, Zagazola Makama, and seen by SaharaReporters on Thursday, the officer disclosed this during a meeting with a Nigerian delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, stating that the aircraft “made an emergency landing … due to a technical fault, which has since been resolved.”
He explained that the aircraft “experienced a technical issue while on a flight to Portugal but was successfully repaired, allowing operations to continue.”
During the meeting, Mr. Tuggar conveyed “a personal message from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu” to the detained NAF personnel. He also disclosed that Burkina Faso’s military ruler, Ibrahim Traoré, “had offered to provide technical assistance to the Nigerian government if required.”
Earlier on Thursday, SaharaReporters confirmed that Burkina Faso released Nigerian military personnel who had been detained after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country, following high-level diplomatic efforts by President Bola Tinubu.
The soldiers, including 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, Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Minister, said Nigerian and Burkinabè authorities amicably resolved the issue surrounding the detained personnel, who had been held for nearly two weeks.
The detention followed sharp accusations from the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), which described the aircraft’s landing as an unfriendly act in violation of international law, escalating diplomatic tensions between Abuja and the Sahelian bloc.
The Nigerian Air Force, however, clarified that the aircraft developed a technical fault mid-flight, forcing a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest suitable airfield, in strict adherence to international aviation standards and safety protocols.
During Wednesday’s closed-door talks in Ouagadougou, Tuggar 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 amid worsening insecurity across the Sahel.
The talks also emphasized coordinated regional security responses and collective action through existing sub-regional frameworks.
The Nigerian delegation 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 ECOWAS; and Wahab Akande, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The release of the detained soldiers has eased a potentially explosive diplomatic standoff at a time when relations between ECOWAS member states and the AES bloc remain fragile.