A security analyst has claimed that the United States has begun conducting surveillance operations inside Nigeria as part of a reported, but unannounced, security arrangement with the Nigerian government aimed at tackling escalating terrorism across the country’s northern region.
Brant Philip, a self-described security tracker and Sahel jihadism specialist, said on Saturday that a manned US intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft flew over parts of Borno State earlier in the day. He stated that the aircraft took off from Accra, Ghana, before circling areas controlled by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) near the southwestern edge of Lake Chad.
“Confirming my earlier reports, a manned US ISR aircraft was conducting reconnaissance earlier today over ISWAP territory… it originally took off from Accra, Ghana and is currently on its way back,” he wrote on X.
Philip had earlier claimed that the US Department of War was already flying reconnaissance missions over western Nigeria without any public acknowledgement from Abuja, suggesting that military agreements may have been concluded behind closed doors. He also cited what he described as a private source, alleging that the arrangement would eventually allow the US to carry out unmanned airstrikes on terrorist targets inside Nigeria. According to him, the agreement would apply strictly to UAV operations, excluding fighter jets and bombers.
He further suggested that Washington would help plug Nigeria’s intelligence-gathering gaps with both manned and unmanned aircraft, and that the US may eventually use the Nigerian Air Force base in Kainji, Niger State, as a launch point.
On Sunday afternoon, Philip posted again, claiming that US surveillance flights had continued for a third consecutive day. He wrote that the ISR aircraft “returned for the third day in a row to spy over ISWAP’s ‘Mantiqah Krinwa’” and had once again departed from Accra.
His public disclosures, however, drew criticism. Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad accused him of exposing sensitive operational details that could aid ISWAP, warning on X: “Stop exposing this vital information to ISWAP please.”
The claims come against the backdrop of recent high-level security engagements between Abuja and Washington. Nigeria’s government previously rejected its designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the Trump administration, prompting a delegation of senior officials—led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu—to travel to Washington for talks.
According to a statement published on the US Department of War website, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted the Nigerian delegation at the Pentagon on 20 November. Discussions focused on combating jihadist groups across West Africa and addressing violence against Christian communities. The US, the statement said, urged Nigeria to take “urgent and enduring action” and expressed readiness to work alongside Nigerian forces.
Despite Philip’s assertions, neither the Nigerian government nor the United States has issued any statement confirming that US aircraft are operating inside Nigerian airspace. The allegations come amid worsening insecurity across the country, with kidnappings, banditry and extremist violence continuing to claim lives on a near-daily basis.
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