No fewer than three United States military aircraft reportedly landed in Nigeria between Thursday and Friday, PUNCH reports.
The aircraft were said to have touched down at military bases in Borno State and other states in the North-East.
Senior officers at the Defence Headquarters disclosed that the planes conveyed ammunition supplied to Nigeria by the American government. In separate interviews, the officers explained that the deliveries were part of ongoing US support for Nigeria’s fight against insecurity.
“Following Nigeria-US bilateral talks on security, the American government will not only deploy soldiers but also provide necessary logistics, including ammunition, to fight the insurgents,” one officer said on condition of anonymity.
Another senior officer described the shipment as routine operational support, noting that ammunition replenishment is often required after military operations.
“I know that recently US aircraft came to supply ammunition for our platforms, and that wasn’t the first time. So, what you are saying may be true, though I have not been officially briefed.
“We go for operations and use different calibres of ammunition, which need to be replaced.
“The US and the Nigerian government, under the coordination of the NSA, are working together to end insecurity in the country. So, we should expect more deployments of aircraft and troops,” he added.
The The New York Times reported on Saturday that US military aircraft landed in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, on Thursday night. By Friday evening, three planes were reportedly visible at the base, with equipment being offloaded from one of them.
“These initial flights are the vanguard of what will be a stream of C-17 transport flights into three main locations across Nigeria,” a US Department of Defense official told the newspaper.
An X account, @mobilisingniger, which claimed to focus on counter-terrorism analysis, also reported that a US Air Force C-130J transport aircraft landed at Kaduna International Airport after departing from Ghana. The post suggested that the Kaduna Depot could serve as a training hub for US personnel collaborating with the Nigerian military.
Another X user, Brant Philip, who identified himself as a tracker, reported a “massive delivery of equipment” to the Maiduguri Airbase, stating that a US Air Force C-130J-30 cargo aircraft had flown to northeast Nigeria from Accra, Ghana, following the same route as earlier C-17A aircraft.
As of the time of filing this report, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Michael Onoja, had not responded to enquiries.
President Trump had in 2025 stated that he would send US military forces to Nigeria if the government failed to halt what he described as genocide against Christians.
Following that warning and Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, the US conducted an airstrike on Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State on Christmas Day.
Earlier reports indicated that about 200 US officers would be deployed to Nigeria.
The New York Times stated that the first group of personnel had already arrived, marking the beginning of a deployment of 200 American intelligence analysts, advisers and trainers to support Nigeria’s armed forces in targeted counterterrorism operations, partly aimed at protecting Nigerian Christians.
The newspaper added that additional aircraft carrying troops and equipment were expected to arrive over the weekend, with further deployments anticipated in the coming weeks.
