BREAKING: US conducts intelligence flights over Nigeria amid renewed security coperation

The United States has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, according to flight tracking data and current and former U.S. officials, signalling a renewed phase of security cooperation between both countries.

A Reuters report said the surveillance activity follows comments made in November by U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened possible military intervention over what he described as Nigeria’s failure to curb violence against Christian communities.

The intelligence flights also come months after a U.S. pilot working for a missionary organisation was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger, further heightening Washington’s security concerns in the region.

Flight tracking data reviewed for December showed that the aircraft, operated by a contractor, typically takes off from Ghana, flies over Nigeria, and returns 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.

Liam Karr, Africa Team Lead for the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, said analysis of the data suggests the operation is being run from Accra, a known logistics hub for the U.S. military in Africa.

Karr noted that the surveillance flights indicate Washington is rebuilding its regional intelligence footprint following Niger’s decision last year to expel U.S. troops from a newly constructed air base and pivot toward Russia for security assistance.

“In recent weeks, we’ve seen a resumption of intelligence and surveillance flights in Nigeria,” Karr said.

A former U.S. official disclosed that the aircraft was among several intelligence assets relocated to Ghana by the Trump administration in November. According to the official, the missions include efforts to locate the kidnapped American pilot and gather intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

A current U.S. official confirmed the flights but declined to provide details, citing diplomatic sensitivity. Another administration official said Washington continues to work with Nigeria to address religious violence, anti-Christian attacks, and the spread of terrorism, though all officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

In a statement, the Pentagon said the U.S. government held productive engagements with Nigerian authorities following Trump’s remarks but declined to comment on intelligence operations.

Nigeria’s military spokesperson and Ghana’s deputy defence minister did not respond to requests for comment.

Nigeria’s government has repeatedly stated that armed groups in the country target both Muslims and Christians, arguing that framing the violence purely as religious persecution oversimplifies complex security challenges.

However, Abuja has agreed to deepen cooperation with Washington to strengthen its capacity against militant groups.

A Nigerian security source said the intelligence flights were agreed upon during a November 20 meeting between National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, where Washington committed to deploying air assets for intelligence support.

Flight data also showed that the Gulfstream V aircraft, commonly modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, was sighted at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on November 7 before flying to Ghana on November 24.

Since then, it has reportedly flown almost daily missions over Nigeria.

Very Nigerian.

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