The Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft earlier held in Burkina Faso, has resumed its flight to Portugal after being released by the authorities.
The aircraft, carrying 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel, was on a routine mission to Portugal for scheduled maintenance when it made a precautionary landing in Bobo Dioulasso on December 8, 2025, due to a technical fault.
Confirming the development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the aircraft was cleared to continue its journey after diplomatic engagements between Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
He explained that the release followed the intervention of a high-level delegation dispatched by President Bola Tinubu to resolve the matter.
The delegation was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and included the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; the Chief of Policy and Plans of the 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.
