A cargo plane detained in Nigeria on Saturday does not belong to Russia and its crew is not Russian either, said the Russian Embassy in Abuja.
“The plane detained in Nigeria, according to earlier media reports, does not belong to Russia and its crew is not Russian either,” a spokesman for the embassy said in Abuja.
Various reports on Saturday, citing security sources in Nigeria, had said the cargo plane detained was Russian.The plane however has a French-speaking crew.
It was detained after it made an emergency landing at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport with military hardware said to be bound for neighbouring Chad.
The plane had been reportedly 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.
According to Reuters, the five crew members were detained, while inspectors examining the shipment “found two helicopters, a bullet-proof jeep and boxes of what were suspected to be military hardware”.
*Update: The Russian Embassy recanted on Sunday and confirmed that the cargo plane was indeed a Russian cargo plane. The plane was hired by the French government to carry military equipment from Central Africa Republic to N’djamena in Chad. Read the story here: https://thenewsnigeria.com.ng2014/12/07/seized-russian-cargo-plane-carrying-french-military-equipment/