The United States, U.S, has been quietly conducting surveillance over Nigeria for the past month, investigations reportedly revealed.
According to flight tracking data analyzed by Reuters and various aviation experts, contractor-operated aircraft have been conducting extensive intelligence-gathering missions across Nigerian airspace.
These flights, which reportedly began in late November, come amid diplomatic tensions between the U.S government and the Nigerian government, particularly over allegations of religious persecution.
According to media reports, open-source intelligence (OSINT) and real-time flight tracking platforms were instrumental in exposing the secret U.S surveillance over Nigeria.
The data identified a specific Gulfstream V business jet, operated by the Mississippi-based firm Tenax Aerospace, a known contractor for the U.S. military.
Flight tracking data also showed that the Tenax Aerospace aircraft was seen at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on Nov. 7 before flying to Ghana on Nov. 24, shortly after the high-level security talks.
According to records from the tracking data, the jet usually takes off from Accra, Ghana, and enters Nigerian airspace to conduct what has been described as long-duration “loitering” patterns before returning to the Ghanaian capital.
Tracking logs indicate that the U.S surveillance flights over Nigeria have occurred almost every day since the operation’s inception in late November 2025.
The Africa team lead for the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, Liam Karr, said his analysis of the flight data indicated the operation was being run out of Accra, a known logistics hub for the US military in Africa.
“In recent weeks we’ve seen a resumption of intelligence and surveillance flights in Nigeria,” Karr said in an interview as reported by the press.
Karr said the flights appeared to signal that Washington was rebuilding intelligence capacity in the region after Niger ordered U.S troops to leave a major air base last year and instead sought security assistance from Russia.
Reuters added that a former US official said the aircraft was among several assets the Trump administration moved to Ghana in November.
While it was unclear how many aircraft remained there, the former official said the missions included efforts to locate the kidnapped US pilot and to collect intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria, including Boko Haram and its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province.
The report further explained that a current U.S official confirmed that the aircraft has been flying over Nigeria but declined to provide further details, citing diplomatic sensitivities.
Another administration official said Washington was continuing to work with Nigeria to “address religious violence, anti-Christian attacks, and the destabilising spread of terrorism.” All officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
This development follows the recent redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) by United States President Donald Trump, a status reserved for nations that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious liberties.
Following the redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, Trump also threatened military action if the Nigerian government failed to nullify terrorists’ threats.
Since the announcement, the Nigerian government has held several meetings with U.S officials over the possible removal of the country from the CPC designation. Part of the effort is the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, leading a Nigerian delegation to a meeting with U.S officials.
Also, a U.S congressional delegation had visited Nigeria to assess the security situation of the country.
The delegation, led by United States Congressman Bill Huizenga, also included U.S Representative Riley Moore.
