Flight data reviewed by Reuters shows that contractor-operated aircraft have been taking off from Accra, Ghana, flying over Nigerian territory, and returning to the Ghanaian capital.
The operator is Tenax Aerospace, a Mississippi-based company that provides special-mission aircraft and works closely with the US military. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
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Analysts say the flights underscore a strategic recalibration following the US military’s forced withdrawal from Niger last year. Niger ordered American troops to leave a newly built air base and subsequently turned to Russia for security assistance, weakening Washington’s intelligence footprint in the Sahel.
“In recent weeks, we have seen a resumption of intelligence and surveillance flights in Nigeria,” Karr said, adding that the operational pattern suggested a deliberate effort to re-establish situational awareness after setbacks elsewhere in the Sahel.
A former US official told Reuters that the aircraft was among several assets repositioned to Ghana in November under the Trump administration.
According to the official, the missions include attempts to locate a US pilot kidnapped earlier this year in neighbouring Niger Republic, as well as broader intelligence collection on militant activity in Nigeria.
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Nigeria continues to battle multiple armed groups, most notably Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province, both of which have carried out deadly attacks in the country’s north east and beyond. Persistent insecurity has strained Nigeria’s security forces and drawn increasing international concern.
For African observers, the renewed US surveillance raises questions about sovereignty and the long-term implications of foreign military involvement.
