Christian Genocide Alarm: U.S. Tightens Surveillance On Nigeria

The United States has intensified intelligence-gathering activities over large areas of Nigeria since late November, indicating increased security cooperation between Washington and Abuja, according to flight-tracking records and U.S. officials quoted by Reuters.

The report, published on Monday, noted that the exact objectives of the surveillance missions could not be independently verified.

Reuters observed that the operations followed comments made in November by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened possible military intervention over what he described as Nigeria’s failure to curb violence against Christian communities.

The surveillance flights also come months after a U.S. pilot working with a missionary organisation was abducted in neighbouring Niger.

Flight-tracking data from December revealed that the contractor-operated aircraft typically departed from Ghana, flew across Nigerian airspace, and returned to Accra.

The aircraft was identified as being operated by Tenax Aerospace, a Mississippi-based company that supplies special mission aircraft and works closely with the U.S. military. The firm did not respond to requests for comment.

Liam Karr, Africa team lead at the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, who analysed the flight data, said the operations appeared to be coordinated from Accra, which he described as a major hub within the U.S. military’s logistics network in Africa.

According to Karr, the renewed surveillance suggests Washington is rebuilding its intelligence presence in the region following Niger’s decision last year to expel U.S. troops from a key desert air base and pivot toward Russia for security support.

“In recent weeks, we’ve seen a return of intelligence and surveillance flights over Nigeria,” Karr told Reuters.

A former U.S. official disclosed that the aircraft was among several intelligence assets relocated to Ghana by the Trump administration in November. While the total number of assets remaining in Ghana remains unclear, the missions reportedly include efforts to track the kidnapped U.S. pilot and collect intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria, such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

A serving U.S. official confirmed the aircraft’s operations over Nigeria but declined to provide further details, citing diplomatic sensitivity.

Another administration official said the U.S. continues to collaborate with Nigeria to address religious violence, anti-Christian attacks, and the broader threat posed by terrorism.

In a statement, the Pentagon said it held “productive meetings” with Nigerian officials following Trump’s remarks but declined to comment on intelligence activities.

Requests for comment sent to Nigeria’s military spokesperson and Ghana’s deputy defence minister went unanswered.

Nigerian authorities have consistently maintained that armed groups target both Christians and Muslims, arguing that claims of Christian persecution oversimplify a complex security challenge and overlook efforts to protect religious freedom.

A Nigerian security source told Reuters that during a November 20 meeting between National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, both sides agreed to deploy aerial assets for intelligence-gathering purposes.

Flight data showed the Tenax Aerospace aircraft at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on November 7. The base hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The aircraft later flew to Ghana on November 24—days after the high-level security talks—and has since conducted near-daily flights over Nigeria.

The aircraft involved is a Gulfstream V, a long-range jet commonly modified for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations, according to the data.