United States military cargo aircraft have begun landing in Maiduguri, Borno State, marking the start of a new phase of security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria.
A US military aircraft touched down late Thursday night at Maiduguri, with more planes expected over the weekend as part of a phased deployment involving about 200 American personnel.
Officials said the aircraft, mainly C-17 transport planes, are bringing intelligence analysts, advisers, trainers and technical equipment.
By Friday evening, several aircraft were visible at the airbase, with equipment being offloaded from at least one plane.
A US Defense Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Maiduguri landings are the first in a series of C-17 operations planned for three strategic locations across Nigeria in the coming weeks.
Due to limited infrastructure in some deployment areas, early arrivals will focus on establishing secure communications, base facilities and operational support systems in collaboration with Nigerian forces.
Nigeria’s defence spokesman, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, stressed that the US personnel will not participate in combat operations.
“These personnel do not serve in a combat capacity and will not assume a direct operational role. Nigerian forces retain full command authority, make all operational decisions and will lead all missions on Nigerian sovereign territory,” he said.
According to him, the deployment follows recommendations from a joint US–Nigeria working group and is strictly limited to advisory and technical assistance.
US officials said the airlift will continue over the coming weeks as part of a temporary mission aimed at strengthening targeted counterterrorism efforts. The new arrivals are expected to reinforce a small team of American advisers already in the country, expanding joint planning and intelligence-sharing.
The latest arrivals follow increased US military air activity in West Africa. Between February 6 and 14, at least six US Air Force cargo aircraft were tracked landing in the region, initially stopping in Accra, Ghana, before continuing onward.
Open-source flight data shows that five of the aircraft later landed at Nigerian Air Force bases, while a sixth aircraft arrived more recently and is expected to follow a similar route toward northeastern Nigeria.
Reports indicate that one C-130J-30 and three C-17A aircraft landed at Maiduguri Airbase, all departing the same day.
Security analysts say Maiduguri Airbase is likely to serve as the primary hub for supporting Nigerian forces against the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is believed to control large parts of rural Borno State.
