US deploys drones to Nigeria to gather intelligence on terrorist groups
The director of defence information at Nigeria's Defence Headquarters confirmed that the US was operating assets from Bauchi airfield in the northeast.
The US military has multiple MQ-9 drones operating in Nigeria alongside 200 troops to provide training and intelligence support to the military, which is fighting terrorists groups across the north, US and Nigerian officials told Reuters.
The troops are not integrated within Nigerian units on the frontline and the drones are collecting intelligence and not carrying out airstrikes, officials from the two countries said.
The deployment follows US airstrikes targeting terrorists in northwest Nigeria in late 2025 and signals a deeper involvement by the US in tackling terrorist groups across West Africa.
A US defence official said the drones had been deployed alongside troops at the request of the Nigerians to collect intelligence.
"We see this as a shared security threat," the official said.
‘Non-combat role’
Major General Samaila Uba, director of defence information at Nigeria's Defence Headquarters, confirmed that the US was operating assets from Bauchi airfield in the northeast.
"This support builds on the newly established US-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which continues to deliver actionable intelligence to our field commanders," he told Reuters.
"Our US partners remain in a strictly non-combat role, enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities."
Uba said the timeline for the US deployment in Nigeria would be determined in agreement by both sides.
‘Identify, track and respond’
MQ-9 drones, which are sometimes known as Reaper drones and can loiter at high altitude for more than 27 hours, can be used for both intelligence gathering and airstrikes.
Neither Uba nor the US official would comment on specific cases where U.S. intelligence had led to the Nigerians targeting terrorists, but Uba said that US forces were helping Nigeria "identify, track and respond to terrorist threats".
Uba said Boko Haram and the Daesh terrorist groups remain a persistent threat.
"We continue to assess that these organisations will seek opportunistic targets and may attempt to demonstrate relevance through high-visibility attacks," he said.