Burkina Faso seized a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft on Monday after it reportedly entered the country’s airspace without authorisation. The plane, carrying 11 military personnel, was forced to land in Bobo Dioulasso following an in-flight emergency.
Agence d’Information du Burkina, citing a statement from the Confederation of Sahel States, said, “The Confederation of Sahel States informs the public that a C130 aircraft belonging to the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was forced to land today, December 8, 2025, in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, following an in-flight emergency while operating in Burkinabe airspace. The military aircraft had two (2) crew members and nine (9) passengers on board, all military personnel.”
An investigation by Burkinabe authorities revealed that the aircraft “highlighted the absence of authorisation to fly over the territory of Burkina Faso for this military device.”
The AES condemned the incident as a violation of sovereignty, saying it “condemns with the utmost firmness this violation of its airspace and the sovereignty of its member States.” It further warned that its “air and anti-aircraft defences of the Confederate space put on maximum alert…were authorised to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the Confederate space.”
No official comment has yet been made by the Nigerian Air Force or the Federal Government.
