At least three United States military aircraft landed in northeastern Nigeria between Thursday and Friday as part of expanded security cooperation between the two countries, according to Nigerian military officials and media reports.
Senior officers at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the aircraft delivered ammunition and other logistics support to military bases in Borno and other northeastern states.
The deliveries followed recent Nigeria-U.S. bilateral talks on security, one officer said, adding that Washington had agreed to provide logistics support, including ammunition, to assist Nigeria’s fight against insurgents.
“We go for operations and use different calibres of ammunition, which need to be replaced,” another senior officer said. “The U.S. and the Nigerian government, under the coordination of the National Security Adviser, are working together to end insecurity in the country.”
The New York Times reported on Saturday that U.S. military aircraft landed in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, on Thursday night. By Friday evening, three planes were visible at the air base, with equipment being offloaded from one, the newspaper reported, citing a U.S. Department of Defense official.
“These initial flights are the vanguard of what will be a stream of C-17 transport flights into three main locations across Nigeria,” the official told the newspaper.
Posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, also tracked the aircraft movements. One user said a U.S. Air Force C-130J-30 cargo plane flew from Accra, Ghana, to northeast Nigeria on Friday, following two previous C-17A flights.
Nigeria’s Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, did not respond to requests for comment as of the time of filing.
The deployments come amid deepening security ties between Nigeria and the United States. In 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would consider sending U.S. forces to Nigeria if the government failed to stop what he described as genocide against Christians. The U.S. later designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern and carried out an airstrike on Islamic State fighters in Sokoto state on Christmas Day.
The New York Times reported that the latest arrivals marked the beginning of a broader deployment of about 200 American intelligence analysts, advisers and trainers to assist Nigeria’s armed forces in targeted counterterrorism operations. Additional aircraft carrying personnel and equipment were expected in the coming weeks, the newspaper said.
Retired Nigerian Army intelligence officer Chris Andrew said the presence of U.S. personnel should not be viewed as a combat deployment.
“They are not bringing combat troops,” he said. “What they are doing is providing technical expertise, particularly in advanced drone operations and precision air capabilities.”
Andrew said Nigeria has improved its air operations following recent cooperation with the United States and suggested that establishing a U.S. drone facility in Nigeria could strengthen counterterrorism efforts, especially after U.S. forces withdrew from neighboring Niger.
Security analyst Chidi Omeje described the development as a diplomatic success for Nigeria, saying the government had turned earlier tensions into partnership.
“Any support that enhances Nigeria’s capacity — whether training, intelligence or technology — should be welcomed,” Omeje said, while cautioning that Nigeria must retain full sovereignty over any cooperation.
“What would not be acceptable is foreign troops operating without our consent,” he added.
Nigeria has battled insurgency and armed groups in its northeast for more than a decade, with civilians bearing the brunt of violence, displacement and insecurity.
