US Steps Up Intelligence Surveillance Over Nigeria as Security Cooperation Deepens Amid Terror Threats and Diplomatic Tensions

The United States has intensified intelligence-gathering operations over large parts of Nigeria since late November, signalling a renewed phase of security cooperation between Washington and Abuja, according to flight-tracking data and US officials cited in an exclusive Reuters report.

The surveillance activities, which have involved near-daily flights over Nigerian airspace, come against the backdrop of rising insecurity in West Africa and growing concerns within the United States over terrorism, religious violence, and regional instability. While the precise objectives of the missions could not be independently confirmed, multiple indicators point to a strategic rebuilding of US intelligence capabilities in the region.

Reuters reported that the flights began shortly after former US President Donald Trump publicly threatened military intervention in Nigeria in November, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to stop violence against Christian communities. The renewed aerial surveillance has also followed the kidnapping of a US pilot working for a missionary organisation in neighbouring Niger earlier in the year, an incident that heightened Washington’s security concerns in the Sahel.

Flight-tracking records for December reveal that the contractor-operated aircraft typically departed from Ghana, flew extensive routes across Nigerian territory, and returned to Accra. The operator was identified as Tenax Aerospace, a Mississippi-based aviation firm known for providing special-mission aircraft and working closely with the US military. The company declined to comment on the operations.

Analysis of the data by Liam Karr, Africa team lead at the Critical Threats Project of the American Enterprise Institute, indicates that the surveillance missions are being coordinated out of Accra. He described Ghana’s capital as a well-established logistics hub for US military operations in Africa. According to Karr, the flights suggest that Washington is actively rebuilding its intelligence network in the region following Niger’s decision last year to expel US troops from a key desert air base and pivot towards Russia for security support.

The renewed surveillance push appears to be part of a broader recalibration of US security strategy in West Africa. A former US official told Reuters that the aircraft involved was among several assets relocated to Ghana by the Trump administration in November. The missions reportedly include efforts to track the kidnapped American pilot and to gather intelligence on extremist groups operating in Nigeria, particularly Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province.

A serving US official confirmed that American aircraft have been flying over Nigeria but declined to disclose operational details, citing diplomatic sensitivity. Another administration source said the United States remains engaged with Nigerian authorities to address religious violence, anti-Christian attacks, and the wider spread of terrorism across the region.

The Pentagon acknowledged holding what it described as productive engagements with Nigerian officials following Trump’s remarks on the country but refrained from commenting directly on intelligence operations. Nigerian and Ghanaian defence authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

Nigerian officials have consistently maintained that armed groups in the country target both Muslims and Christians, arguing that claims of systematic Christian persecution oversimplify Nigeria’s complex security challenges and ignore ongoing efforts by the government and military to safeguard religious freedom.

A Nigerian security source disclosed that during a high-level meeting on November 20 between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, both sides agreed on the deployment of air assets to support intelligence-gathering efforts.

Flight data further showed that the Tenax Aerospace aircraft was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on November 7. The base hosts the headquarters of the United States Special Operations Command. The aircraft subsequently flew to Ghana on November 24, shortly after the security talks, and has since conducted frequent surveillance flights over Nigeria.

The aircraft involved is a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet commonly adapted for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, underscoring the seriousness of the renewed US focus on Nigeria and the wider West African security landscape.