Nigerian security agents Thursday searched again a detained aircraft from Ukraine carrying arms and headed for Equatorial Guinea, while its crew awaited interrogation, officials said.
The plane was intercepted and its crew detained on Wednesday after landing at a northern Nigerian airport, they said.
The Russian-made jet was stopped on arrival at the Aminu Kano International Airport in the city of Kano after making an emergency landing at 4:00 am (0300 GMT) due to a technical fault.
Eighteen crates of mines and ammunition were found aboard the aircraft when it was first searched, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Details of the aircraft fault were not disclosed.
The seven Ukrainian crew members, including the pilot, and a suspected Nigerian accomplice at the airport, simply identified as "a handler", were still being being detained Thursday by security officials pending investigations into the aircraft's mission, they said.
"We are still waiting for instructions from Abuja (the nation's capital) before we can commence the interrogation", a senior military officer said, on condition of anonymity.
The aircraft, with registration number UR-CAK, is being guarded by soldiers at the airport, they added.
A group of soldiers was also guarding the venue where the suspects are being detained at the airport, an AFP reporter saw.
Security officials have banned all movements around the plane and the detention centre.
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