Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters has confirmed that the United States has deployed multiple MQ-9 drones and approximately 200 troops to Nigeria to bolster the country’s fight against Islamist militants, according to U.S. and Nigerian officials who spoke to Reuters.
Major General Samaila Uba, Director of Defence Information at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, confirmed that the U.S. assets are being operated from the Bauchi airfield in the northeast.
“This support builds on the newly established U.S.-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which continues to deliver actionable intelligence to our field commanders,” he told Reuters.
“Our U.S. partners remain in a strictly non-combat role, enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities.
U.S. officials also clarified that the troops are not embedded with Nigerian frontline forces, while the drones are strictly assigned to intelligence-gathering missions and are not involved in airstrikes.
The move follows the closure of a $100 million U.S. drone base in neighboring Niger in 2024, where about 1,000 troops had been monitoring militant activity across the Sahel. The shutdown came after Niger’s military government ordered American forces to withdraw, reflecting a broader regional resistance to Western military presence.
Security concerns have continued to escalate, with militants intensifying attacks in Nigeria’s northwest, particularly near the borders with Benin and Niger, where a long-running banditry crisis remains a major threat.
A U.S. defense official said the latest deployment was made at Nigeria’s request and is primarily aimed at enhancing intelligence capabilities.
“We see this as a shared security threat,” the official said.
