ABUJA, Dec. 18– Nine military personnel and two crew members of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft, who were forced to land in Burkina Faso recently, have been released, authorities confirmed Thursday.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa told Xinhua by phone that the personnel and crew of the C-130 transport aircraft were released on Wednesday following a delegation’s visit to Burkina Faso.
“They (the detained military personnel and crew) have been released. I just checked with our Head of Mission in Burkina Faso,” Ebienfa said.
In an earlier statement, the NAF said the aircraft made a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, on Dec. 8 after the crew detected a technical concern shortly after takeoff from Lagos.
The aircraft was on a ferry mission to Portugal for scheduled maintenance when the crew opted to divert in line with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols, according to the statement.
Following days of diplomatic engagements with the Burkinabe authorities, Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar led a delegation to Ouagadougou, the country’s capital, as the special envoy of President Bola Tinubu to facilitate the release of the detained personnel, according to local media reports on Thursday. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
