Eleven Nigerian soldiers and their aircraft have taken off from Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, following their release after 10 days in detention. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja on Friday. “Bravo to the Embassy of Nigeria in Burkina Faso and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja,” he said. He further told PUNCH Online that the aircraft would first fly to Ghana before re-routing to Portugal, as it was not granted permission to fly over Malian airspace. “The aircraft will fly to Ghana and from there re-route the flight plan to Portugal.

Source: Punch December 19, 2025 20:40 UTC