By our correspondant
As condemnation continues to trail the detention of Nigeria’s military aircraft in Burkina Faso, the House of Representatives has resolved to engage senior government officials in the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs over the matter.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Rufus Ojuawo during plenary.
Leading debate on the motion, Ojuawo urged the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to leverage the frameworks of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to facilitate cooperation, mutual understanding, and the expeditious release of the aircraft and detained military personnel.
The House also called on the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to coordinate inter-agency communication to ensure that national security considerations are addressed without escalation.
“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,” Ojuawo explained.
Expressing displeasure over the continued detention of Nigeria’s aircraft and the security personnel on board, lawmakers unanimously adopted the prayers of the motion after a robust debate.
Consequently, 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 within two weeks.
