Seized Plane Carrying Weapons In Nigeria Owned By France

According to Premium Times, Russian Government has finally accepted that the plane bound for Chad which was seized in Nigeria on Saturday, December 6th, actually belongs to them in less than 24 hours of denying it through their Nigeria’s Embassy twitter page.

It meanwhile said the military hardware aboard the plane belongs to France. 

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria tweeted that the plane is indeed a Russian one but was rented by the French government to carry military hardware for its peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic.

The Embassy tweeted in Russian but Premium Times already translated it in English. 

“Military equipment on board aircraft in Kano enroute CAR (Central African Republic) via Chad, allegedly owned by the French peacekeeping mission,” the Russia Embassy had tweeted via its handle @RusEmbNigeria.  

“The detained in Kano Russian plane chartered by the French peacekeeping mission in Chad and transporting its property,’’ another tweet said. 

“The Embassy is taking all measures to ensure the departure of the detained in Kano Russian plane with the French military equipment on board,” they concluded.
 

@RusEmbNigeria @NaijaHistory This tweet admits plane is russian -> https://t.co/bj7JnDgkCp

— Mr. Aye Dee (@MrAyeDee) December 7, 2014

There were also signs last night that the plane might be released after investigation. But according to The Nation it had not been released as at 9.00p.m.

The Russian Embassy’s press attache Artyom Romanov confirmed that the cargo on the plane belonged to French peacekeepers.

He said the French peacekeeping mission in Chad had chartered the Russian plane with Russian crew to transport the cargo. The Russian side has nothing to do with the cargo, according to Romanov. 

According to another statement from the Russians: “Military equipment on board aircraft in Kano enroute CAR (Central African Republic) via Chad, allegedly owned by the French peacekeeping mission.

“The detained Russian plane was chartered by the French peacekeeping mission in Chad and transporting its property.

“The Embassy is taking all measures to ensure the departure of the detained in Kano Russian plane with the French military equipment on board.”

France also admitted ownership of the plane.

Jacques Champagne de Labriolle, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, in the statement, admitted his country chartered the Russian aircraft to help it convey some military hardware from Bangui (Central African Republic) to Ndjamena (Niger).

He however said there were no arms and ammunition aboard the plane, contrary to earlier reports on the matter.

It would be recalled Nigeria detained a Russian cargo plane and its French-speaking crew on Saturday after it made an unauthorised landing in the northern city of Kano with military hardware bound for neighbouring Chad, a security source said.

Ali Modu Sheriff, a former governor of Borno State, tha man who was accused in sponsorshop of Boko Haram insurgents, allegedly lobbying for the release of the Chad-bound cargo aircraft that was confiscated by the Nigerian military in Kano for transporting large consignment of military hardware. 

Premium Times