The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Nigerian government has opened high-level diplomatic negotiations with Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to secure the immediate release of its aircraft and its personnel.
According to PRNigeria, Senior officials from the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defence Headquarters, and ECOWAS liaison desks are already involved in the talks.
It was learned that Burkina Faso’s civilian aviation authorities and some senior military officers are themselves embarrassed by the political order that reversed their earlier clearance.
“The atmosphere on the ground is calm,” one official confirmed. “The Nigerian personnel were well treated. The issue now is purely political, and both sides are trying to resolve it quietly.”
A defence intelligence source disclosed that the NAF crew complied strictly with international procedures which included declaring an in-flight emergency, requesting the nearest safe landing zone, receiving official clearance and landing safely and underwent repairs.
Under ICAO regulations, any aircraft facing an emergency must be granted immediate access to the nearest available airspace for safety reasons.
“This is standard aviation practice,” a senior flight operations specialist also confirmed the procedures. “Once an emergency is declared, sovereignty issues take a back seat until the crew and aircraft are safe.”
Diplomatic engagements are ongoing, and officials expect a resolution soon. Sources insist Nigeria is approaching the matter quietly but firmly, given the unnecessary escalation and the political undertones behind the detention.
“There is no hostility between the two countries,” one diplomat explained. “But the internal politics of the AES has complicated what should have been a routine emergency landing.”
