American Military Aircraft Touch Down in North-East Nigeria

At least three United States military aircraft arrived in Nigeria between Thursday and Friday.

Sources indicated that the planes touched down at military installations in Borno and other states in the North-East region.

Senior officials at the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the aircraft delivered ammunition supplied by the US government.

An officer who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that

“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,”

Another high ranking officer explained that the delivery was part of operational logistics, noting that the military often requires replenishment of ammunition after 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.

The New York Times on Saturday reported that US military aircraft landed in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Thursday night.

By Friday evening, the paper reported that three planes could be seen at the base, with equipment being offloaded from one.

“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 had said.

The United States President, Donald Trump, had in 2025 declared that he would send military forces to Nigeria if the government failed to stop what he described as genocide against Christians.

Following his threat and the declaration of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, the US carried out an airstrike on Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State on Christmas Day.