DETENTION ENDS AS NIGERIAN AIR FORCE C-130 CREW RESUMES MISSION TO PORTUGAL

Read Time:2 Minute, 2 Second

By Aishat Momoh. O.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) C-130 aircraft and its crew, earlier detained in Burkina Faso, have resumed their journey to Portugal to continue a scheduled aircraft maintenance mission.

The 11-member Nigerian crew, who were released on Thursday, departed Burkina Faso aboard the same aircraft after diplomatic interventions by the Federal Government. They are proceeding directly to Portugal and will not be returning to Nigeria at this time.

The aircraft had made an emergency landing at Bobo-Dioulasso on December 8, 2025, after developing a technical fault while on a ferry mission to Portugal for routine servicing. The landing was described by the Nigerian Air Force as a precautionary safety measure in line with international aviation protocols.

Confirming the development, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the crew and aircraft were cleared to continue their original mission.

“They are not coming to Nigeria but proceeding to Portugal for the servicing of the aircraft. They will leave for Portugal today,” Ebienfa told the News Agency of Nigeria.

He explained that the release of the aircraft and crew followed high-level diplomatic engagements initiated by President Bola Tinubu. A delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, was dispatched to Burkina Faso to resolve the matter.

The delegation also included the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; the Chief of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal A. Y. Abdullahi; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Olawale Awe; and the Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Wahab Akande.

Burkina Faso authorities had earlier released the aircraft and crew on Wednesday after meetings between the Nigerian delegation and the country’s junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, in Ouagadougou.

The incident had generated diplomatic tension after the Malian junta leader, Assimi Goita, speaking on behalf of the Confederation of Sahel States, described the precautionary landing as an “unfriendly act” allegedly carried out in defiance of international law, warning that member states would neutralise aircraft violating their airspace.

However, Nigeria maintained that the landing was strictly for safety reasons. NAF Director of Public Relations, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the crew landed at the nearest airfield after detecting a technical issue, in accordance with global aviation safety standards.

The Federal Government has since confirmed the safe release of both the aircraft and personnel, marking the resolution of the diplomatic standoff.