The United States has reportedly resumed intelligence and surveillance operations over Nigeria, just days after conducting airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State.
A Sahel-based terrorism analyst, Brandon Philip, shared flight-tracking information on Saturday, December 27, showing that a U.S. aircraft was active over parts of northeastern Nigeria, including Borno State. The data identified the aircraft as a Gulfstream V, a long-range jet commonly adapted for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
According to Philip, the renewed operations are focused on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is mainly active in Nigeria’s North-East and the Lake Chad Basin. “The United States resumed ISR operations today on ISWAP in the Sambisa Forest, Borno State, after a one-day pause following the strikes in Sokoto State,” he wrote on X.
Flight records indicate that U.S. intelligence missions over 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 jet has reportedly conducted near-daily flights over Nigerian airspace.
The data also linked the aircraft’s operator to Tenax Aerospace, a company known for providing specialised aviation services to the U.S. military. When the surveillance flights initially commenced, a former U.S. official said they were aimed at locating an American pilot abducted in neighbouring Niger, as well as collecting 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 threats by former U.S. President Donald Trump of possible military action over Nigeria’s security situation.
After the talks, 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 Sokoto operation, signalling a sustained phase of U.S. military involvement.
