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Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, says the Nigerian soldiers who were on an aircraft that made a forced landing in Burkina Faso are still in the West African country.
Tuggar spoke on Thursday at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja when TheCable asked him about the status of the soldiers in a joint press briefing with Olushegun Bakari, his Beninese counterpart.
On Monday, the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) accused an aircraft carrying 11 Nigerian soldiers of violating Burkinabe airspace.
AES is a breakaway West African regional union made up of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic.
Assimi Goita, the Mali junta leader, described the landing as an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law”.
The AES said it authorised its member states to neutralise any aircraft violating its airspace.
The development came at the same time Nigerian troops carried out air strikes in Benin to help foil a coup.
Commenting on the situation, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said the C-130 aircraft was on a ferry mission to Portugal.
Ehimen Ejodame, director of public relations at NAF, said the crew observed a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, a city in Burkina Faso, with the nearest airfield.
Ejodame said the landing was in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.
There were unconfirmed reports that Burkinabe authorities detained the Nigerian military officers, and later released them.
Tuggar said talks are ongoing with Ibrahim Traoré, Burkinabe junta leader, to resolve the matter.
“We are discussing how we can resolve this delicate matter as quickly as possible, and we’re talking. So it’s something that is being handled diplomatically,” he said.
When asked to confirm if the soldiers are still in Burkina Faso, Tuggar replied: “Yes, they are”.
In addition, Bakari clarified that the NAF aircraft saga in Burkina Faso had nothing to do with the support Nigeria provided to foil the coup attempt in Benin.
Tuggar affirmed his counterpart’s statement.
“Absolutely, it was on its way to Portugal and it developed a technical problem and was forced to land,” Tuggar said.
“And this is part of ICAO regulations, it’s under international law. When you’re flying and you have a problem, you land in the nearest airport, and it can happen to anybody.
“Tomorrow, it can be a Burkinabe plane flying, let’s say, to Kenya or somewhere, and then it’s forced to land in Kano or Maiduguri or anywhere else. It can be any other country.”
Tuggar expressed confidence in resolving the matter quickly.
