by Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku, Face2FaceAfrica.com
U.S. military support in Nigeria has expanded quietly, with surveillance drones and personnel now on the ground as the country battles with heightening violence across multiple fronts.
A U.S. defense official confirmed Monday that MQ-9 Reaper drones have been deployed to assist Nigeria’s armed forces, primarily through intelligence sharing and training. The aircraft arrived alongside about 200 American troops who entered the country last month, marking a deeper level of cooperation between the United States and Nigeria.
The MQ-9s, long used in U.S. operations across Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, are built for endurance and high-altitude missions. They can remain airborne for more than 30 hours and operate above 40,000 feet. While capable of carrying out strikes, U.S. Africa Command has stressed that their role in Nigeria will be limited to surveillance and support.
An AFRICOM spokesperson told AP that American personnel “are working alongside their Nigerian counterparts to provide intelligence support, advisory assistance, and targeted training in support of the Nigerian Armed Forces.”
Both the troops and the drones are stationed at Bauchi Airfield in northeastern Nigeria, a recently constructed facility. Officials have not disclosed how many drones are currently deployed.
Nigeria continues to face a layered security crisis, particularly in its northern regions. Armed groups operate with overlapping agendas, from ideological insurgencies to profit-driven violence. Boko Haram remains one of the most notorious factions, alongside its offshoot ISWAP, which is aligned with the Islamic State. Other groups, including Lakurawa and loosely organized bandit networks, have expanded kidnappings and illicit mining operations.
The U.S. deployment follows a new security arrangement reached after President Donald Trump alleged that Christians were being specifically targeted amid the violence. That claim coincided with renewed U.S. military action, including strikes against Islamic State-linked fighters in late December.
The United States footprint in the region had previously centered on Niger, where it operated a major drone base. That presence ended after the country’s military rulers ordered U.S. forces to leave.
Meanwhile, attacks inside Nigeria have continued. Earlier this month, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, was rocked by three suspected suicide bombings that killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100. No group claimed responsibility, though Boko Haram was widely suspected. The group has waged an insurgency since 2009 aimed at imposing its strict version of Islamic law.
Security threats have also spilled over from the wider Sahel. Militants linked to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin carried out their first known attack on Nigerian soil last year, adding another layer to an already volatile landscape.
According to United Nations estimates, more than 40,000 people have died since the Boko Haram conflict began. Analysts increasingly argue that the state’s response has failed to keep pace with the scale and evolution of the threat.