Nigeria has detained a Russian cargo plane and its French-speaking crew after it made an unauthorized landing in the north city of Kano with undeclared military hardware aboard.
A Nigerian air force official confirmed the impounding of the plane on December 6 but gave no further details.
The plane was traveling from Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, to the Chadian capital of N'Djamena but was forced to make an emergency landing at Kano because the N'Djamena airport was closed.
Nigerian officials found two helicopters, a bullet-proof jeep and boxes of what were suspected to be military hardware aboard the plane.
The five-man crew is being held as an investigation into the plane and its cargo is conducted.
It was unclear who the equipment was for.