Fatimah Otunsanya
The House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to meet with senior government officials in the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs over the country’s detained aircraft and personnel in Burkina Faso.
The decision of the House to intervene followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by an Ekiti lawmaker, Mr Rufus Ojuawo.
The lawmakers urged the President Bola Tinubu-led government to make use of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union frameworks to facilitate cooperation, mutual understanding and the expeditious clearance of the aircraft and detained military personnel.
They also urged the Office of the National Security Adviser to coordinate inter-agency communication to ensure that national security considerations are addressed without escalation.
In addition, the House urged the Federal Government to provide measures and factual public briefings, where appropriate, to counter misinformation while protecting sensitive diplomatic and security processes.
Leading debate on the motion, Mr Ojuawo said the Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft was involved in a duly authorised ferry flight to Portugal for scheduled, periodic depot maintenance — a routine and mandatory life-cycle requirement for a military transport aircraft — but made a precautionary landing in Burkina Faso on December 8, 2025.
He said the flight had been properly documented and conducted in compliance with international aviation standards, including provisions for diversion on safety grounds.
The precautionary landing was made purely on safety considerations and in line with established aviation protocols. The aircraft was neither on an operational mission nor involved in intelligence-gathering or surveillance activities,” he said.
The House expressed displeasure over “the continued detention of Nigeria’s aircraft and the security personnel on board.”
Following the adoption of the motion, the House mandated its Committees on Foreign Affairs, Defence, Nigerian Air Force and National Security to interface with the Ministry of Defence and other relevant intelligence agencies to address all issues related to the aircraft and its crew, and to report back to the House within two weeks.