The French Government has released a statement claiming ownership of the cargo plane which was seized by the Nigerian Military at the Kano International Airport on Saturday. The flight was said to be covered by a diplomatic clearance given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, The Autonov 124 Russian commercial plane was forced to land in Kano airport due to the dense air traffic on its way to Chad.
The French Government has released a statement claiming ownership of the cargo plane which was seized by the Nigerian Military at the Kao International Airport on Saturday. The flight was said to be covered by a diplomatic clearance given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, The Autonov 124 Russian commercial plane was forced to land in kano airport due to the dense air traffic on its way to Chat
The French Government through the French ambassador to Nigeria, Jacques Champagn de Labriolle stated on Sunday that the Autono plane had to stop at an alternate international airport and Kano airport being the closest, the Russian crew decided to fly there, to refuel, and to take off again to reach Njamena Airport in Chad.
The ambassador denied the claims that the cargo plane was carrying ammunitions, stressing that it was carrying two light Gazelle helicopters, spare parts and maintenance items belonging to the French army.
Labriolle futher explained that the nationality of the aircraft and the nature of the cargo attracted airport authorities and they decided to check the flight plan, the clearance and the cargo manifest before authorizing the plane to leave.