US CONDUCTS SURVEILLANCE FLIGHTS OVER NIGERIA AMID HEIGHTENED SECURITY COOPERATION
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The United States has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, signalling increased security cooperation between both countries, according to flight tracking data and U.S. officials cited in a Reuters report.
The report, published on Monday, said the exact purpose of the surveillance missions could not be independently confirmed. However, the operations come weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened possible military intervention in Nigeria over what he described as the government’s failure to curb violence against Christian communities.
Reuters noted that the surveillance flights also follow the kidnapping of a U.S. pilot working for a missionary organisation in neighbouring Niger earlier this year.
Flight tracking data for December showed that the aircraft typically took off from Ghana, flew over Nigeria, and returned to Accra. The operator was identified as Tenax Aerospace, a Mississippi-based company that provides special mission aircraft and works closely with the U.S. military. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
According to Liam Karr, Africa team lead at the Critical Threats Project of the American Enterprise Institute, the operation appears to be running out of Accra, which he described as a known hub for U.S. military logistics in Africa.
Karr said the flights suggest Washington is rebuilding its intelligence capacity in the region following Niger’s decision last year to expel U.S. troops from a major desert air base and shift toward Russia for security cooperation.
“In recent weeks, we’ve seen a resumption of intelligence and surveillance flights in Nigeria,” Karr told Reuters.
A former U.S. official said the aircraft was among several intelligence assets moved to Ghana by the Trump administration in November. While the number of aircraft involved remains unclear, the official said the missions included tracking the kidnapped U.S. pilot and gathering intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria, including Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
A current U.S. official confirmed that the aircraft had been flying over Nigeria but declined to provide further details, citing diplomatic sensitivity. Another administration official said Washington continued to work with Nigeria to address religious violence, anti-Christian attacks, and the spread of terrorism.
All U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
In a statement, the Pentagon said the United States held “productive meetings” with Nigerian authorities following President Trump’s remarks on Nigeria, but declined to comment on intelligence activities.
Nigeria’s military spokesperson and Ghana’s deputy defence minister did not respond to requests for comment.
Nigeria has repeatedly maintained that armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, arguing that claims of Christian persecution oversimplify the country’s complex security challenges and ignore efforts to safeguard religious freedom.
A Nigerian security source told Reuters that during a November 20 meeting between National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the United States agreed to deploy air assets for intelligence-gathering operations.
Flight tracking data showed the Tenax Aerospace aircraft at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on November 7. MacDill hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Special Operations Command. The aircraft later flew to Ghana on November 24, days after the high-level security talks, and has since conducted near-daily flights over Nigeria.
The aircraft is a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet commonly modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The development comes amid worsening insecurity in Nigeria. Last month, President Bola Tinubu declared a security emergency and ordered mass recruitment into the armed forces and police following deadly attacks, kidnappings, and the abduction of more than 300 schoolchildren in northern states.
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