Former senator representing Ekiti North, Ayodele Arise, has urged the Federal Government to go beyond diplomacy in securing the release of 11 Nigerian soldiers detained in Burkina Faso, insisting that military action should remain an option.
Speaking on an Arise TV programme on Saturday, Arise said Nigeria must project strength in its dealings with neighbouring countries, particularly on sensitive security matters. According to him, a clear show of readiness to act could force the Burkinabe authorities to reconsider their stance.
“I think we should move and do something. Once they are aware that we want to do that, I am sure the man who is president there will have a rethink because they are our neighbours,” he said.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s armed forces are under pressure from insurgency and banditry at home, the former lawmaker argued that the country must still assert itself within the region.
“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,” Arise added.
He drew parallels with Israel’s 1976 Entebbe Raid in Uganda, citing it as an example of decisive action that forced a host country to change its position.
Arise’s comments followed confirmation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, that the 11 Nigerian military personnel remain in custody after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso. Tuggar, speaking to journalists at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, said the matter was being handled through diplomatic channels.
“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,” the minister said.
He also clarified that the C-130 aircraft involved had no link to Nigeria’s recent military intervention in the Republic of Benin, dismissing reports that the detained officers were suspected of involvement in a rescue mission linked to a failed coup.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, had earlier claimed that the aircraft violated national procedures by entering the country’s airspace without authorisation, an allegation Nigerian officials have disputed.
Arise also defended President Bola Tinubu’s approval of military intervention in Benin, rejecting claims that the President acted hastily or breached constitutional provisions by not immediately informing the National Assembly.
Beyond regional security, the former senator criticised domestic legislative practices, particularly the Senate’s use of the ‘take-a-bow-and-go’ approach during the screening of ambassadorial nominees. While noting that the method is not unlawful, he argued that it limits scrutiny of candidates for sensitive diplomatic roles.
“There are two ways to look at that. Either the President and the security agencies have done thorough due diligence, or the Senators have carefully studied the nominees’ profiles,” he said.
However, Arise maintained that more rigorous questioning would serve the public interest. “Many of us will prefer that the Senate ask questions. Let the nominees justify the nomination from Mr President, because he himself can’t know every one of them,” he added.
