The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (OON), confirmed the development in a statement on his official X handle on Saturday, noting that the officers had earlier been “temporarily detained following an emergency landing of the aircraft in Burkina Faso.”
About 11 personnel of the Nigerian Air Force are set to depart Accra, Ghana, for Portugal on Saturday, following their release after an emergency landing incident in Burkina Faso.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (OON), confirmed the development in a statement on his official X handle on Saturday, noting that the officers had earlier been “temporarily detained following an emergency landing of the aircraft in Burkina Faso.”
According to the Minister, the personnel arrived safely in Accra on 19 December 2025 aboard a Nigerian Air Force C-130 (913) aircraft after the matter was resolved through “sustained diplomatic engagement and peaceful dialogue between the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the authorities of Burkina Faso.”
The diplomatic efforts, he said, led to “the release of the officers and the clearance of the aircraft for onward movement.”
Upon arrival in Accra, the officers were received by “a representative of the President of the Republic of Ghana, Colonel Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahel States,” alongside officials of the Nigeria High Commission in Accra and senior officers of the Ghana Air Force.
The personnel were “accorded a warm reception and hosted by their Ghanaian counterparts” ahead of their scheduled onward journey to Portugal.
Confirming their next movement, the Minister stated that “the Nigerian Air Force personnel are scheduled to depart Accra for Portugal on Saturday, 20 December 2025.”
Amb. Tuggar expressed “the appreciation of the Government of Nigeria to the Governments of Burkina Faso and Ghana for their cooperation,” while reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to “resolving regional matters through dialogue, mutual respect, and constructive diplomatic engagement.”
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that one of the eleven Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel detained in Burkina Faso confirmed that their aircraft made an emergency landing in the West African country due to a technical fault.
In a video, the personnel 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 reported that Burkina Faso 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.