United States military cargo aircraft have begun landing in Maiduguri, Borno State, marking the start of a new phase of security cooperation between United States and Nigeria.
A U.S. military plane touched down Thursday night at the Maiduguri airport, with additional aircraft expected over the weekend as part of a phased deployment of about 200 American personnel. Officials said the flights are largely C-17 transport operations carrying intelligence analysts, advisers, trainers and equipment.
By Friday evening, multiple aircraft were visible at the base, with equipment being offloaded from at least one of the planes. A U.S. Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details, described the Maiduguri landings as the first in a series of C-17 missions planned for three key locations across Nigeria in the coming weeks.
Because several of the deployment areas have limited infrastructure, early arrivals will focus on establishing secure communications systems, base facilities and operational support structures in coordination with Nigerian counterparts, officials said.
Nigeria’s defence spokesman, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, emphasized that the American personnel would not participate in combat operations.
“These personnel do not serve in a combat capacity and will not assume a direct operational role. Nigerian forces retain full command authority, make all operational decisions and will lead all missions on Nigerian sovereign territory,” General Uba said.
He explained that the deployment followed recommendations of a joint U.S.–Nigeria working group and is strictly limited to advisory and technical assistance.
U.S. officials said aircraft movements are expected to continue over the next several weeks under what they described as a temporary mission designed to support targeted counterterrorism efforts. The deployment will expand joint planning and intelligence-sharing capabilities, building on a small team of American advisers already operating in Nigeria.
Heightened Air Activity
The arrivals follow a week of increased U.S. military air activity across West Africa. Between February 6 and 14, six U.S. Air Force cargo aircraft were tracked landing in the region, initially stopping in Accra before proceeding to Nigerian air bases.
Open-source flight tracking data indicated that five aircraft later landed at Nigerian Air Force facilities, while a sixth was expected to follow a similar route toward the northeast.
Independent open-source intelligence analyst @BrantPhilip_ provided additional details, stating:
“Maiduguri Airbase will likely be the primary base of operations for supporting the Nigerian army against ISWAP. This is a critical location as the IS affiliate currently controls most of Borno State rural areas.
“The volume of the delivery and the type of aircraft used by the USAF indicates that very heavy equipment is being sent to Maiduguri Airbase, I suspect at least one or more MQ-9 Reaper drones, attack helicopters and of course a large number of US troops,” @BrantPhilip_ said.
On February 10, American and Nigerian officials confirmed that approximately 200 U.S. troops would be deployed to Nigeria in advisory and training roles, reinforcing an expanding framework of bilateral security cooperation.
