THE United States has been carrying out intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, according to flight-tracking data and current and former U.S. officials, signalling heightened security engagement between Washington and Abuja, Reuters reports.

Although Reuters said on Monday it could not confirm the precise objectives of the flights, the report marks the first confirmation by a major international news agency that U.S. surveillance missions are under way over Nigeria.

The operations come weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened possible military intervention, accusing Nigeria of failing to curb violence against Christian communities. The flights also follow the kidnapping of a U.S. pilot working for a missionary organisation in neighbouring Niger earlier this year.

Flight-tracking data for December shows the contractor-operated aircraft typically departs from Ghana, flies over Nigeria, and returns to Accra. The operator is Mississippi-based Tenax Aerospace, a company that provides special-mission aircraft and works closely with the U.S. military, according to its website. The company did not respond to requests for comment, Reuters said.

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Africa team lead at the Critical Threats Project of the American Enterprise Institute, Mr Liam Karr, who analysed the data, said the operation appeared to be based out of Accra, a key logistics hub for the U.S. military in Africa. He described the flights as an early sign that Washington was rebuilding intelligence capacity in the region after Niger last year ordered U.S. troops to leave a major desert air base and pivoted toward Russia for security cooperation.

“In recent weeks, we’ve seen a resumption of intelligence and surveillance flights in Nigeria,” Karr said.

A former U.S. official said the aircraft was among several assets relocated to Ghana in November, adding that the missions included efforts to track the kidnapped U.S. pilot and gather intelligence on militant groups such as Boko Haram and its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

A current U.S. official confirmed the flights over Nigeria but declined to provide details due to diplomatic sensitivities. Another administration official said Washington continued to work with Nigeria to address religious violence, anti-Christian attacks and the spread of terrorism. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon said in a statement that the U.S. government held productive meetings with Nigerian officials following Trump’s remarks, but declined to comment on intelligence operations.

Nigeria’s military spokesperson and Ghana’s deputy defence minister did not respond to requests for comment.

Nigeria’s government has maintained that armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, arguing that U.S. claims of Christian persecution oversimplify the country’s complex security challenges and overlook efforts to protect religious freedom. Nevertheless, Abuja has agreed to deepen cooperation with Washington to strengthen its fight against militant groups. Nigeria’s population is roughly divided between a predominantly Muslim North and a largely Christian South.

A Nigerian security source said that during a November 20 meeting between National Security Adviser, Mr Nuhu Ribadu and U.S. Defense Secretary, Mr Pete Hegseth, that the U.S. agreed to deploy air assets to support intelligence gathering.

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Flight data shows the Tenax Aerospace aircraft was at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on November 7 before flying to Ghana on November 24, shortly after the high-level security talks. Since then, the aircraft – a Gulfstream V business jet commonly modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions – has flown over Nigeria almost daily.

The surveillance activity coincides with worsening insecurity in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu last month declared a security emergency and ordered mass recruitment into the military and police following deadly attacks across several states and the abduction of more than 300 schoolchildren in the north.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has taken punitive steps against Nigeria over concerns about religious freedom. In October, Trump reinstated Nigeria on a U.S. list of countries accused of violating religious freedom. This week, Nigeria was also added to a U.S. travel ban list facing partial restrictions.

Trump has further directed the Pentagon to prepare for possible rapid military action if Nigeria fails to curb the killing of Christians. According to Republican Congressman, Mr Riley Moore, who recently visited Nigeria, the two countries had since established a joint task force to coordinate security efforts.