Eleven Nigerian military personnel are being held by Burkina Faso’s ruling military authorities in Bobo-Dioulasso after their aircraft made an emergency landing in the city, local reports say. According to media accounts that cite an official statement from the Alliance/Confederation for Sahel States (AES), the aircraft was detained on arrival amid accusations that it had violated AES-controlled airspace prior to landing.
The AES — a confederation of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger whose security posture has hardened in recent months — publicly denounced the intrusion and said the incident prompted the arrest of the crew and passengers pending investigation. Reports indicate the detentions followed the emergency landing rather than an in-flight engagement, but AES communications framed the event as an airspace violation, a charge that carries political as well as legal consequences under the current Sahel security arrangements.
The episode comes as the Gulf of West Africa region is already on edge: Nigeria has recently committed air and ground assets to stabilise a neighbouring state after a coup attempt, and any cross-border military incident risks rapid escalation or a diplomatic standoff between Abuja and the Sahelian juntas. Regional analysts say transparent, immediate diplomatic engagement and military-to-military clarification will be essential to prevent the situation from becoming a wider incident; at the time of reporting, coverage remains driven by official AES statements and local media accounts while follow-up confirmation from Nigerian national authorities is awaited.
Full video below 👇 👇 👇 👇
The Nigerian Air Force C-130 That Made Emergency Landing In Burkina Faso: https://t.co/y3eUnNxcOq pic.twitter.com/OJNHh0BAr3
— Somto Okonkwo (@General_Somto) December 8, 2025
Eleven Nigerian Military Personnel Have Been Detained By The Burkinabe Military Regime In Bobo-Dioulasso, Southwest Burkina Faso, After Their Aircraft Made An Emergency Landing While Allegedly Violating AES Airspace. pic.twitter.com/viLjodGMJf
— Somto Okonkwo (@General_Somto) December 8, 2025