The Federal Government has expressed uncertainty over the current status of the 11 soldiers and aircraft detained in Burkina Faso, casting doubt on reports that they have departed for Portugal.

According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, while the Burkinabè authorities have released the personnel and aircraft, it was unclear whether they have actually taken off from Burkina Faso

Though he confirmed that the soldiers were en route to Portugal after their release, he said that the aircraft developed technical fault shortly after their release, resulting in a delay in their departure.

He, however, said that he was uncertain whether the soldiers have left Burkina Faso or not at press time, saying “I do not know if they have left.

“They were taxing to take off, then they discovered something. They had another technical problem, so they had to stop to fix it.

“So, I am waiting for an update from them. I will confirm that (if they have departed). But they are going to Portugal, not Nigeria, that was their original destination,” he said.

Recall that the Burkinabè authorities released the detained soldiers and the aircarft after a high-level delegation led by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, who met with Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, in Ouagadougou.

The meeting resolved the tense situation, with both sides agreeing to strengthen bilateral cooperation and regional integration.

The delegation was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and include the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; Chief of Policy and Plans of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal A. Abdullahi; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Olawale Awe; and the Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Wahab Akande.

The Nigerian soldiers were detained for more than 10 days after their C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing at Bobo-Dioulasso, citing technical failure, while on a ferry mission to Portugal.

Burkinabè authorities, however, disagreed, alleging that the aircraft violated its airspace by entering without authorisation.

The unauthorised landing sparked a diplomatic row with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) made up of Burkina Faso and its neighbours, Mali and Niger.

In a statement, AES characterised it as an unfriendly act and said member states’ respective air forces had been put on maximum alert and authorised to neutralise any aircraft found to violate the confederation’s airspace. (Vanguard)

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