The United States resumed intelligence gathering and surveillance of Nigeria on Saturday, December 27, 2025.
The resumption of the surveillance of Nigeria comes after the U.S struck ISIS terrorists in Sokoto State, Nigeria.
According to reports, there has been an increase in aerial and electronic monitoring of Sambisa Forest in Borno state.
Brant Philip, a Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, shared flight tracking data that showed the U.S aircraft flying over Borno state.
The aircraft was a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet often modified for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, according to the data.
Philip said Saturday’s intelligence operations focused on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the ISIS affiliate in Nigeria, which operates primarily in the north-east and Lake Chad basin.
“The United States resumed ISR operations today on ISWAP in the Sambisa forest, Borno state in northeast Nigeria, after a pause of one day following the strikes in Sokoto state,” he tweeted on X.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the strikes come after flight tracking data had revealed that the U.S has been conducting surveillance over Nigeria since November 2025.
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.
The aircraft has flown over Nigeria almost daily since the start of the mission.
Flight tracking data linked the operator to Tenax Aerospace, a special mission aircraft provider that works closely with the U.S military.
At the time the operations began, a former U.S official said the missions include tracking an American pilot who was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger Republic and gathering intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria.
The surveillance of Nigeria led to the launching of airstrikes on the ISIS terrorists’ camp in Sokoto State on December 25, 2025.
The intelligence operations in Nigeria took off days after Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), met Pete Hegseth, U.S defence secretary, in Washington over President Donald Trump’s military intervention threats.
After the meeting, Hegseth said his department would work “aggressively” with Nigeria to end the alleged “persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists”.
