A former Ekiti lawmaker and APC chieftain, Senator Ayodele Arise, has urged President Bola Tinubu to consider military action to secure the release of Nigerian soldiers detained in Burkina Faso.
Speaking on an Arise TV programme on Saturday, Arise said that although the Nigerian Armed Forces are battling insurgency and banditry at home, a military option against Burkina Faso should not be ruled out.
Citing Israel’s 1976 Entebbe Raid, Arise argued that decisive action could compel the Burkinabe authorities to reconsider. “I think we should move and do something,” he said, adding, “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.” He also defended Nigeria’s recent military intervention in Benin Republic.
His remarks came a day after Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar confirmed that the 11 Nigerian military personnel, detained after a C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso, remain in custody. Tuggar said the issue was being handled diplomatically, stressing that the aircraft was not linked to the Benin coup and that talks were ongoing to resolve the matter.