President Bola Tinubu’s government, on Thursday, announced that the crisis involving Nigerian military officers who were detained by the Burkina Faso junta over alleged illegal incursion into the country’s airspace has been resolved.

Foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar announced this in a statement, stating that the resolution followed the dispatch of a diplomatic delegation by Mr Tinubu to engage with Burkinabe military leader Ibrahim Traoré over the issue on Wednesday.

“I led a high-level Nigerian delegation to Burkina Faso on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT to convey his message of solidarity to President Ibrahim Traoré and engage on shared regional priorities,” Mr Tuggar said.

“The visit allowed us to review pathways for strengthening #NigeriaBurkinaFasoRelations and advancing regional integration. Through sustained dialogue, we also resolved the matter concerning Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew, reaffirming the effectiveness of diplomacy in addressing sensitive issues.”

Wednesday’s meeting came almost 10 days after 11 military officers were detained in the country after their cargo plane belonging to the Nigerian Air Force made an emergency landing in an airfield in the city of Bobo Dioulasso following a reported technical issue onboard.

The Alliance of Sahel States accused the Nigerian government of violating its sovereignty, stating that the plane had not been granted international or diplomatic clearance to enter Burkinabe airspace, and subsequently raised its military readiness.

However, NAF rejected the allegation of an illegal incursion, noting that the plane and its crew were on a routine flight to Portugal when the aircraft developed a problem, prompting an emergency landing at the nearest airport in accordance with international regulations.

(NAN)