No fewer than three United States military aircraft touched down in Nigeria between Thursday and Friday.
According to a report by PUNCH, sources indicated that the planes arrived at military facilities in Borno and other states in the North-East.
Senior officers at the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the aircraft conveyed ammunition supplied to Nigeria by the American government.
The officers, who spoke separately with our correspondents, explained that the move formed part of US support to Nigeria’s campaign 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 of the officers who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
Another senior officer said the delivery was part of routine operational support, stressing that ammunition is usually replenished after military engagements.
“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 New York Times on Saturday reported that US military planes arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Thursday night.
By Friday evening, the report said three aircraft were 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, run by a user who identified as a counter-terrorism expert, also reported on Friday that a US Air Force C30J transport aircraft landed at the Kaduna International Airport after departing Ghana.
The post suggested that the Kaduna Depot could serve as a training centre for US personnel working with the Nigerian military.
“A US Air Force military transport aircraft C30J has landed at Kaduna International Airport after departing from Ghana earlier this (Friday) evening. The movement is fuelling speculation that US personnel may utilise the Kaduna Depot as a potential training hub in collaboration with the Nigerian military. This signals a potential deepening of US–Nigeria security engagement amid ongoing regional security challenges,” the post read.
Another X user, Brant Philip, who described himself as a tracker, said a “massive delivery of equipment” had taken place at the Maiduguri Airbase in Borno State.
“The US Air Force C-130J-30 cargo aircraft flew to northeast Nigeria today (Friday) from Accra, Ghana, following the same route as the two previous C-17A, a mass delivery of equipment seems to be ongoing,” he wrote.
As of the time of filing this report, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Michael Onoja, had yet to respond to inquiries on the development.
US deploys military officers
The United States President, Donald Trump, in 2025 declared he would send military forces to Nigeria if the government failed to halt what he described as genocide against Christians.
Following the warning and Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, the US carried out an airstrike on Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State on Christmas Day.
Both countries have since intensified security engagements.
Earlier reports indicated that about 200 US officers would be deployed to Nigeria.
The New York Times said the first batch of personnel had already arrived.
It noted that the move marked the start of the deployment of 200 American intelligence analysts, advisers and trainers to assist Nigeria’s armed forces in targeted counterterrorism operations, partly aimed at protecting Nigerian Christians.
The newspaper also reported that more aircraft carrying troops and equipment were expected to arrive over the weekend, with additional flights likely in the coming weeks.
(PUNCH)
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