A former Ekiti State lawmaker and APC chieftain, Senator Ayodele Arise, has called on President Bola Tinubu to explore the possibility of military intervention to secure the freedom of Nigerian soldiers reportedly detained in Burkina Faso.
Arise made the appeal on Saturday during an appearance on an Arise TV programme monitored by our correspondent.
He acknowledged that the Nigerian military is currently stretched due to ongoing battles against insurgency and banditry within the country, but maintained that the option of military action against Burkina Faso should not be dismissed.
Referencing historical examples, the senator cited Israel’s 1976 Entebbe operation in Uganda, suggesting that a bold and decisive move could compel the Burkinabe authorities to reconsider their stance.
Read Also: Minister Of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar Gives Update On Status Of 11 Military Personnel Days After Nigerian Air Force (NAF) C-130 Was Grounded By Burkina Faso
He said, “I think we should move and do something. As a matter of fact, once they are aware that we want to do that, I am sure that the man who is President there will have a rethink because they are our neighbours.
“Yes, we should be friendly with our neighbours, but at the same time we should let them know that they can’t be messing with our country.”
The former senator, who represented Ekiti North, also voiced his backing for the recent military action in the Republic of Benin to suppress an attempted coup.
He rejected claims that President Tinubu acted impulsively or violated constitutional provisions by proceeding before officially informing the National Assembly.
Arise’s remarks came less than 24 hours after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed that the 11 Nigerian soldiers detained after making an emergency landing in Burkina Faso are still being held.
Tuggar revealed this while addressing journalists at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja.
“We are discussing how we can resolve this delicate matter as quickly as possible, and we’re talking. So it’s something that is being handled diplomatically,” he said
The minister further explained that the Nigerian Air Force plane in question was not linked to Nigeria’s involvement in the recent coup-related intervention in the Republic of Benin.
He said the 11 military personnel were travelling in a C-130 aircraft that was forced to make an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso, in south-western Burkina Faso, after which they were detained amid suspicions that the flight was part of a rescue operation connected to the Benin coup.
In contrast, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, stated that the aircraft breached the country’s aviation protocols by entering its airspace without proper authorisation.
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