France has admitted ownership of the cargo plane that was impounded by
military authorities at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, last
Saturday.
It said that the flight was covered by a diplomatic
clearance given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, noting that
the Autonov 124 Russian commercial plane was forced to land at the Kano
airport because of dense air traffic at Ndjamena airport,Chad.
A
statement from the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jacques Champagne de
Labriolle, on Sunday, stated that the Antonov plane had to divert to an
alternate international airport and the closest airport facility being
Kano, the Russian crew decided to fly there, to refuel, and to take off
again to reach Njamena Airport.
He denied that the plane was
carrying arms and ammunition, stressing that it was conveying two light
Gazelle
helicopters, spare parts and maintenance items belonging to the
French Army.
Labriolle further explained that due to the
nationality of the aircraft, and the nature of the cargo, airport
authorities in Kano, decided to check the flight plan, the clearance and
the cargo manifest before authorizing the plane to leave.
He
said that official information has been supplied by the French Embassy
in Nigeria, noting that the federal and airport authorities, being
satisfied with the documents and the genuine character of the flight,
have announced that the plane will be authorized to pursue its flight to
Ndjamena.
The envoy stated that the French Armed Forces had on
December 6, 2014, chartered the flight on the Russian commercial company
“224 Flight Unit,” to ship two light helicopters from Bangui to
Ndjamena.
Social Plugin