Insecurity: US sends surveillance drones, 200 soldiers to Nigeria

THE United States has moved to bolster Nigeria’s counterinsurgency efforts by deploying multiple MQ-9 drones and approximately 200 military personnel, sources from both governments told Reuters.

Officials from Washington stressed that the American troops are not participating in frontline operations alongside Nigerian forces. Instead, the drones are being used exclusively for intelligence collection, with no mandate to carry out airstrikes.

The deployment follows the closure of a major US drone installation in neighbouring Niger Republic in 2024. The facility, valued at about $100 million, had supported nearly 1,000 personnel tracking extremist activity across the Sahel before Niger’s military authorities ordered US troops to exit.

According to a US defence official, the latest move was made at Nigeria’s request and is aimed at strengthening intelligence capabilities in the fight against insurgents.

Describing the situation, the official noted that both countries face a ‘shared security concern.’ In Nigeria, military authorities confirmed that the US assets are currently being operated from an airfield in Bauchi, in the country’s North-East region.

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Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said the collaboration is tied to a recently created US-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which is already supplying actionable insights to commanders on the ground.

He reiterated that the American role remains limited to support functions, while Nigerian forces retain full control of combat operations.

In February, it was announced United States was preparing to deploy about 200 military personnel to Nigeria as part of a renewed security partnership aimed at strengthening the country’s capacity to combat Islamist insurgents. A U.S. official confirmed the plan, saying the troops would focus primarily on training and advisory roles for Nigeria’s armed forces rather than direct combat operations.

The move came just weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered air strikes against what he described as Islamic State-linked targets in the region. Trump has since indicated that Washington could scale up its military engagement in Nigeria if security conditions continue to deteriorate. The deployment marks one of the most significant recent steps by the United States to reassert its counterterrorism presence in West Africa.