The United States has resumed intelligence and surveillance operations in Nigeria, days after launching airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State.
A Sahel-focused terrorism analyst, Brandon Philip, disclosed on Saturday, December 27, that flight-tracking data showed a U.S. aircraft operating over parts of northeastern Nigeria, including Borno State. According to the data, the aircraft was a Gulfstream V, a long-range jet commonly adapted for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
Philip explained that the renewed operations are targeting the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is active mainly in Nigeria’s North-East and the Lake Chad Basin. He noted that ISR flights over the Sambisa Forest in Borno State resumed after a one-day pause following the Sokoto strikes.
Flight records indicate that U.S. intelligence missions in Nigeria began on November 24, after the aircraft departed from Ghana, a major logistics hub for U.S. military operations in Africa. Since then, the aircraft has reportedly conducted near-daily flights over Nigerian territory.
The data also linked the aircraft’s operations to Tenax Aerospace, a company known for providing specialised aviation services to the U.S. military.
Earlier, a former U.S. official said the surveillance missions were initially focused on locating an American pilot kidnapped in neighbouring Niger, while also gathering intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria.
The renewed ISR activity comes shortly after a meeting in Washington between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The discussions followed comments by former U.S. president Donald Trump, who warned of possible military intervention over Nigeria’s security challenges.
After the meeting, Hegseth said the U.S. Department of Defense would work “aggressively” with Nigeria to address what he described as the persecution of Christians by jihadist groups. Trump later indicated that further strikes would follow the initial operation in Sokoto, suggesting a sustained phase of U.S. military involvement.
