KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) – A Russian
cargo plane was detained in Nigeria on Saturday, on board were some
French-speaking crews. The cargo made an unauthorized landing in the northern
city with military hardware bound for neighbouring Chad.
The detainment was confirmed by
air force personnel with no further details.
The security source
said the plane had been travelling from Bangui, the capital of Central African
Republic, to the Chadian capital N'Djamena but was forced to make an emergency
landing in Kano because N'Djamena airport was closed.
He said after the five
crew members were detained, inspectors found two helicopters, a bullet-proof
jeep and boxes of what were suspected to be military hardware.
The Russian embassy in
Abuja did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was not clear what
the shipment was for. Chadian fighters have been involved in Central African
Republic's conflict since Muslim Seleka rebels seized the southern capital
Bangui in 2013.
Mysterious arms
shipments have caused controversy in Nigeria before. A Nigerian court sentenced
an alleged member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and a Nigerian accomplice to
five years in prison in May last year over an illegal shipment of mortars and
rockets seized in the main port of Lagos in 2010.
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