₦airaland Forum

Detained soldiers: Senator Arise urges military action against Burkina Faso.



A former Ekiti lawmaker and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Ayodele Arise, has urged President Bola Tinubu to consider the option of military action against Burkina Faso to secure the release of Nigerian soldiers currently being held in the West African country.

Arise made the call on Saturday while speaking as a guest on an Arise TV programme, which was monitored by our correspondent.

While acknowledging that the Nigerian Armed Forces are heavily engaged on the home front amid persistent insurgency and banditry, the senator insisted that a military option against Burkina Faso should not be ruled out.

Drawing from historical precedent, Arise recalled Israel’s 1976 Entebbe Raid in Uganda, arguing that decisive action could force a rethink by the Burkinabe authorities.

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 lawmaker, who represented Ekiti North in the Senate, also expressed support for the recent military intervention in the Republic of Benin aimed at quelling a coup attempt.

He dismissed suggestions that President Tinubu acted hastily or breached the Constitution by taking action before formally notifying the National Assembly.

Arise’s concerns came barely 24 hours after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed that the 11 Nigerian military personnel detained following an emergency landing in Burkina Faso remain in custody.

Tuggar made the disclosure while speaking to 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 also clarified that the Nigerian Air Force aircraft involved had no connection with Nigeria’s intervention in the recent military coup in Benin Republic.

The 11 military officers were aboard a C-130 aircraft that made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso, in south-western Burkina Faso, and were subsequently arrested amid suspicion that they were involved in a rescue mission linked to the Benin coup.

However, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, claimed that the aircraft violated national procedures by entering the country’s airspace without authorisation.

Beyond regional security, Arise also weighed in on domestic legislative matters, particularly the Senate’s adoption of the ‘take-a-bow-and-go’ approach in screening ambassadorial nominees.

While he did not fault the procedure adopted by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, he argued that more rigorous engagement during screenings would help lawmakers better assess the competence of nominees for sensitive diplomatic assignments.

He said, “There are two ways to look at that. It is either the President and the security agencies have done a good job of due diligence of the candidates, and the Senators have read their profiles, resumes, achievements and contributions to national development.

“It is a learning process because the fact that you are a Senator doesn’t mean that you know everything. So, the opportunity for engagement, information for people to know their professions and educating the Senators at large has been lost.”

“But 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 is going to rely on the security report and the reference from those who work around him.”




https://punchng.com/detained-soldiers-senator-arise-urges-military-action-against-burkina-faso?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPMjc1MjU0NjkyNTk4Mjc5AAEe3HLwggKIFjz7YTPynqSvQDr97IKlFP0whpjpMsdDK_JlzmcPjksI5pRPl7g_aem_SXY6uPNQuxtKXpNho4PyJw

Hahaha small nash should try action against Burkina Faso 🤣 🤣 🤣🤣😂

This senator has watched too many movies. The Nigerian army can't even handle the insurgency at home is it Burkina Faso far away it can handle? We have less than 5 C-130s. Burkina Faso just ceased one and I doubt if the remaining are fully functional. So how will Nigeria then be able to transport troops to Burkina Faso?

Portugal has denied that any Nigerian Airforce plane was scheduled for maintenance in their country so exactly why did Nigeria send that plane to Burkina Faso?

I'll hazard a guess as to what happened. France was pressing Tinubu to send troops to do an insertion in a country of choice. France wanted to see if Nigeria could pull that off.

However, taking a propeller driven plane for a covert mission , was very stupid. Radars everywhere will pick the plane. The threat of anti-air guns convinced the pilot to land that plane.

Make Nigeria no go make any mistake to invade?? Russia 🪆 is solidly behind them

Russian missile loading from Burkina Fasso

These APC politicians, must they speak to make bad situations worse?

I beg, na small pikin dey worry them. Biko, tamper justice with mercy.

Even IPOB can overrun Bukina Suffer

But unfortunately if the North refuses nothing he can do about it, they dominate the military.

APCNig:
I beg, na small pikin dey worry them. Biko, tamper justice with mercy.

Even IPOB can overrun Bukins Suffer

Israel is 9 million In population and Arabs are about a billion do population don't win wars.

The money this guy have stolen from nigeria is driving him into irrational thinking

Very bad idea, any attempt of military action will put the lives of the 11 Nigerian soldiers at risk

bigpriik:
Israel is 9 million In population and Arabs are about a billion do population don't win wars.

Israel cannot defeat Togo or even Benin Republic is a free and fair war. It is USA and the whole 32 European countries that have been fighting the Arabs and hiding behind Israel

E pain TERRORIST.

APCNig:
Israel cannot defeat Togo or even Benin Republic is a free and fair war. It is USA and the whole 32 European countries that have been fighting the Arabs and hiding behind Israel

esnbrutality:
E pain TERRORIST.

Take it easy in pressing neck of Apc terrorist members here.

You violate another country’s airspace and you still want fight them?

Na that time you will know say Nigeria is not united, people like us will give Russia and boki na Faso more information about Nigeria.

Don't go to war to any country if there's no unity among you it will not work.

Make peace first before planning any war.

Madmohamed1:
Na that time you will know say Nigeria is not united, people like us will give Russia and boki na Faso more information about Nigeria.

Don't go to war to any country if there's no unity among you it will not work.

Make peace first before planning any war.

I will love Nigeria to go that war.

Especially now we want separate country and terrorists want to overrun Nigeria 🤣🤣😂😉