There has been outcry over the U.S.–Nigeria security cooperation following fresh allegations that American surveillance aircraft have been conducting reconnaissance missions inside Nigerian airspace.
This is coming just days after rumours surfaced that the United States is considering drone strikes against terrorist factions in the country.
The claims were triggered by Brant Philip, a senior Sahel conflict analyst known for tracking insurgent groups across West and Central Africa. In multiple posts on X, Philip alleged that a manned U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft flew several missions over Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) strongholds around the southwestern fringes of Lake Chad in Borno state.
According to Philip, the aircraft departed from Accra, Ghana, before entering Nigerian airspace on Saturday.
“Confirming my earlier reports, three manned U.S. ISR aircraft were conducting reconnaissance earlier today over ISWAP territory,” he posted.
The claim had immediately ignited heated debate among Nigerians online.
By Sunday, Philip reported that the same aircraft had returned for a third consecutive day, repeatedly circling Mantiqah Krinwa, a notorious ISWAP enclave on the Lake Chad fringes.
These updates reinforced earlier allegations, also circulated through a source cited by Philip, that Washington is preparing to launch unmanned drone strikes in Nigeria under a new but undisclosed security framework. According to the source, only unmanned systems would be authorised for kinetic operations, with no role for U.S. fighter jets or bombers.
The U.S. military’s involvement, the source added, would focus on helping Nigerian forces close critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance gaps through manned and unmanned platforms. Kainji Air Base in Niger state, home to Nigeria’s A-29 Super Tucano fleet, was mentioned as a possible hub for such operations, though neither government has confirmed this.
Philip further claimed the U.S. “Department of War,” as he referred to the Pentagon, had already begun flying reconnaissance from American military facilities in Ghana into Nigeria, without any public clarification from the Nigerian government.
Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad accused Philip of irresponsibly publicising sensitive security information capable of jeopardising counterterrorism operations and emboldening ISWA fighters.
Speculation intensified after U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, in Washington for talks on the rising threat of terrorism and increasing attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria.
Despite mounting public anxiety, both Abuja and Washington have maintained silence, issuing no confirmation or denial regarding the ISR flights or potential drone operations.
However, a source in the Office of the National Security Adviser, who spoke to News Point Nigeria anonymously, dismissed the claims of imminent strikes.
According to the source, the flights were “merely surveillance and mapping missions conducted by UAVs,” adding that no strike operations were expected “for now, at least not yet.”
Gazette
