No fewer than 11 Nigerian soldiers are presently being held by the military authorities in Bobo-Dioulasso in the South West region of Burkina Faso.
According to details shared on X by security analyst Bryant Grant on Monday evening, the detained personnel were apprehended after their aircraft carried out an emergency landing while “violating AES airspace.”
The AES alleged that a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft breached Burkinabe airspace and was forced to land in Bobo-Dioulasso.
The statement further cautioned that any aircraft entering AES airspace without authorisation would be neutralised.
This incident follows Nigeria’s deployment of military aircraft to Benin Republic on Sunday in response to an attempted coup.
Watch the video of authorities in Burkina Faso speaking below:
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigerian military nor the Federal Government has issued an official response.
In a new update, a security analyst has disclosed what he believes is the only reason the Nigerian Air Force C-130 was flying over the South West region of Burkina Faso.
Brant Philip, a Sahel-focused security analyst known for monitoring military activities across West Africa, stated that the Nigerian aircraft was en route to Senegal, noting that there was “nothing too suspicious.”
He wrote on his X page, “The only plausible reason why the Nigerian Air Force C-130 was flying over southwest Burkina Faso is that it was headed towards Senegal, nothing too suspicious.”
Suggesting possible reasons for the emergency landing, he added, “I initially guessed the NAF C-130 cargo plane was heading towards Tamale, Ghana, but it turned off its transponder, either intentionally or related to the emergency situation, and went ghost and continued northwest towards Burkina Faso where it was forced to land in an emergency.”
Do you think Nigeria should use force to free the detained Nigerian soldiers or negotiate with the regime in Burkina Faso? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
