The United States has conducted extensive intelligence-gathering flights across Nigeria since late November, according to flight-tracking data and statements from current and former U.S. officials reported by Reuters.
Contractor-operated surveillance aircraft have been making regular flights from Ghana into Nigerian airspace before returning to Accra, though the precise mission objectives have not been publicly disclosed.
A former U.S. official revealed to Reuters that these aircraft are part of a broader deployment of military and intelligence resources that the Trump administration relocated to Ghana in November.
Ghana functions as a critical logistics center for U.S. military operations across Africa, though the exact number of surveillance aircraft currently based there remains undisclosed.
Flight records indicate the aircraft is operated by Tenax Aerospace, a specialized aviation company that provides mission support to the U.S. military.
According to the former official, mission priorities include locating a kidnapped U.S. pilot from neighboring Niger and gathering intelligence on militant organizations active within Nigeria.
A current U.S. official acknowledged the surveillance operations over Nigeria but refused to elaborate, noting the diplomatic sensitivities involved.
Tracking records show the Tenax Aerospace aircraft landed in Ghana on November 24 and has conducted near-daily flights over Nigeria since operations commenced. The aircraft is a modified Gulfstream V business jet, frequently adapted for intelligence and reconnaissance work.
On November 1, President Trump instructed the U.S. Department of Defense to prepare for “possible action” against what he characterized as Islamic terrorist groups in Nigeria. This directive came after Nigeria was redesignated as a “country of particular concern” by the U.S. government over allegations of Christian persecution.
Trump has accused radical Islamist organizations of committing what he called the “mass slaughter” of Christians in Nigeria, threatening to deploy U.S. forces “guns-a-blazing” to eliminate those responsible.
On November 21, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu held discussions with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the matter. Following their meeting, Hegseth stated that the United States would work “aggressively” alongside Nigeria to address what he described as jihadist persecution of Christians.
The meeting occurred alongside a U.S. congressional hearing examining alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria. Weeks afterward, Congressman Riley Moore announced that both nations were nearing completion of a “strategic security framework” designed to combat terrorism in Nigeria, though specifics were not revealed.
Reuters noted that these surveillance operations reflect deepening U.S.-Nigeria security collaboration and follow Trump’s repeated warnings about potential military intervention. The flights also come months after a U.S. pilot employed by a missionary organization was abducted in Niger.
Nigerian officials have disputed claims of targeted attacks against Christians, maintaining that armed groups strike both Muslim and Christian communities and that the violence stems from a broader, complex security challenge.
Despite these objections, Nigerian authorities have consented to enhanced intelligence sharing with the United States to combat militant organizations, including Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province.
President Bola Tinubu declared a security emergency last month and authorized mass recruitment for the armed forces and police following an escalation in fatal attacks, kidnappings, and mass abductions throughout multiple states.
The U.S. has implemented measures against Nigeria, including restoring it to a list of nations violating religious freedom and imposing limited travel restrictions. Trump has directed the Defense Department to prepare for military operations in Nigeria should the Tinubu government fail to halt attacks on Christian communities.
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