Brant Philip, a Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, has sparked heightened scrutiny of U.S.–Nigeria security cooperation after alleging that American surveillance aircraft have now entered Nigerian airspace, days after earlier reports suggested the United States may be preparing for unmanned drone strikes against terrorist targets inside the country.
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In a series of posts on X, Philip said that a manned U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew on Saturday over Islamic State West Africa Province strongholds near the southwestern shores of Lake Chad in Borno State. He claimed the aircraft departed from Accra, Ghana.
“Confirming my earlier reports, a manned U.S. ISR aircraft was conducting reconnaissance earlier today over ISWAP territory,” he wrote, a statement that immediately fueled intense online debate.
By Sunday, Philip reported that the same aircraft had returned for a third consecutive day, circling repeatedly over ISWAP’s enclave known as Mantiqah Krinwa on the fringes of Lake Chad.
His claims came after an earlier allegation, based on a source he cited, that the United States is preparing to conduct UAV strikes inside Nigeria under a new but undisclosed security arrangement. According to that report, the agreement would permit only unmanned aircraft for kinetic operations, ruling out the deployment of American fighter jets or bombers.
The unnamed source also alleged that the U.S. military’s main role would be to close intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance gaps for Nigerian forces using both unmanned and manned platforms. Kainji Air Base in Niger State, where Nigeria’s A-29 Super Tucanos are based, was mentioned as a possible site for supporting U.S. operations, though no official confirmation exists.
Philip further claimed that the U.S. Department of Defence, which he referred to as the Department of War, has already initiated reconnaissance missions from American facilities in Ghana, flying into Nigerian airspace without public disclosure by the Nigerian government.
His assertions quickly drew criticism. Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad accused him of recklessly publicizing sensitive operational movements that could benefit ISWAP fighters.
The controversy escalates days after U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth held high-level security talks in Washington with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, focusing on terrorism and rising attacks on Christian communities.
Despite growing speculation, neither the Nigerian government nor the United States has issued any confirmation or denial regarding American ISR flights or potential drone-strike preparations.
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