US conducts surveillance flights over Nigeria – Report

The United States has been conducting intelligence-gathering surveillance flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, according to flight tracking data and current and former U.S. officials.

Reuters, which exclusively reported the development on Monday, said the surveillance operations involve aircraft linked to U.S. intelligence and security agencies monitoring activities across wide areas of the country. The flights are believed to be focused on gathering information related to security threats, including insurgency, terrorism, and transnational criminal networks.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the surveillance is part of broader U.S. efforts to monitor instability and security challenges in West Africa, particularly in regions affected by militant violence and armed groups. Nigeria has for years battled Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the northeast, as well as banditry and kidnappings in other parts of the country.

While U.S. officials declined to provide detailed operational specifics, they noted that such intelligence flights are not unusual and are often conducted in coordination with regional partners to support counterterrorism and security objectives.

There has been no official public response from the Nigerian government regarding the reported surveillance flights as of the time of filing this report. However, Nigeria and the United States maintain longstanding security and intelligence cooperation, particularly in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.

The report comes amid heightened global focus on security developments in the Sahel and West African region, where rising instability has drawn increased international attention.