Did Burkina Faso Release Detained Military Personnel After 48-Hour Ultimatum from Nigeria?
On December 11, 2025, an X user @MasterBolaji claimed that the 11 Nigerian military personnel detained by the Burkinababe government had been released, after a 48 hour ultimatum was issued by its Nigerian counterpart. The post is captioned “Burkina Faso has released our men after being given a 48-hour ultimatum, and they complied. Good work, president Traoré. I thought you wanted a confrontation with us, but their release shows you’re not ready for any gun battle with us. Enjoy your military rule.”
When this report was published, the post had 64,100 views and about 1,023 replies, repost, quotes, likes and bookmarks. In the comment section, @tweet2abdul123 wrote “Ode. Ur men still de custody. U can’t release them when u are wrong and still want to threaten them. Hope u noticed how Nigeria government are quiet on the issue. They are begging seriously behind. It will be better for loud mouthed fools like u and others to no jeopardize it.” while @TerryWest05 said “With all the effort you’re putting to defend this government. Bro I go really need to see your bank statement cus Omo you Dey try .”
VERIFICATION
On December 8, 2025, a Nigerian Air Force C-130 military transport plane made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso due to a technical issue while flying from Lagos to Portugal. Burkina Faso authorities said the aircraft entered its airspace without prior clearance and labelled it an “unfriendly act.” The 11 Nigerian military personnel onboard (2 crew and 9 passengers) were detained by Burkinabe authorities pending investigation.
Guardian Nigeria reported on December 11, that the detained personnel had been released and allowed to return to Nigeria. However, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, publicly stated that the soldiers were still in Burkina Faso and that diplomatic talks were ongoing to secure their release. Reputable Nigerian news outlets also said the claim of release was false or unverified, and emphasised continued diplomatic engagement.
There is no credible evidence from trusted news sources that Nigeria issued a formal 48-hour ultimatum to Burkina Faso demanding release of its personnel, nor that such an ultimatum led to their release.
CONCLUSION
The claim that the 11 military personnel detained by the Burkinababe government were released after a 48-hour ultimatum was issued is FALSE. Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar confirmed that diplomatic talks were ongoing to secure their release.
