Nigeria issues formal apology to Burkina Faso over airspace violation

Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, travelled to Ouagadougou on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, to deliver an official apology after a Nigerian military aircraft violated the airspace of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Tuggar was received by Burkina Faso’s president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, to whom he conveyed Abuja’s regret over the incident, which had earlier been condemned in a statement by AES member states.

“It is regrettable that there were irregularities in the documents, particularly with regard to authorisation to fly over Burkinabè airspace. This is unfortunate, and we apologise for this regrettable incident,” the Nigerian foreign minister said.

“We also discussed the case of a leader of a Nigerian political party who has made disparaging comments about this incident, which is undoubtedly linked to a misunderstanding of the situation.”

Carrying a message of “solidarity and brotherhood” from President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Tuggar praised Burkina Faso’s recent gains in the fight against terrorism. He reaffirmed the shared determination of both countries to work more closely together to improve regional security.

“We discussed several issues related to the security of our region, in particular the fight against terrorism and how we must work together to combat this scourge,” he added.

Nigeria also commended what it described as the spirit of brotherhood shown by the Burkinabè authorities in their handling of the aircraft’s occupants, who remain on Burkinabè soil.