The fate of 11 Nigerian military personnel aboard remains unclear following a statement by the Confederation of the States of the Sahel (AES) announcing the ‘seizure’ of a Nigerian aircraft for allegedly violating its airspace.

The military juntas, comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic, in a joint statement, accused Nigeria of violating its confederal airspace after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, on Monday.

In a communiqué issued in Bamako and signed by Mali’s transitional leader and AES President, Gen. Assimi Goïta, the bloc said the aircraft carried “two crew members and nine passengers, all of them military personnel.”

According to the statement, Burkinabe authorities opened an investigation immediately after the landing and “confirmed that this military aircraft had no authorization to fly over Burkinabe territory.”

While condemning the act as violation of its airspace and of the sovereignty of its Member States, the AES described the incident as “an unfriendly act carried out in disregard of international law and international civil and/or military aviation rules.”

Continuing, the Sahel nations announced that following the incident, a series of security measures has been activated to ensure security of its airspace, sovereignty as well as security of its populations.

“In this regard, and on the instructions of the Heads of State, the air and anti-aircraft defenses of the Confederation’s airspace, placed on maximum alert in accordance with the Declaration of the College of Heads of State dated December 22, 2024, have been authorized to neutralize any aircraft that violates the Confederation’s airspace,” the statement.

The joint statement, however, did not mention what happened to the 11 military personnel onboard the Nigerian turboprop plane.

Likewise, Nigerian government, as of the time of filing this report, is yet to issue an official statement confirming the development and the steps being taken for safe release of the personnel held in Burkina Faso. (TRIBUNE)

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