The United States has been conducting intelligence-gathering surveillance flights over wide areas of Nigeria since late November, according to U.S. officials cited by Reuters and flight tracking data sighted on OSINT account @BrantPhilip_ on X.

The operations signal intensified scrutiny following President Donald Trump’s threats of possible military intervention over what he described as Nigeria’s failure to protect Christian communities from violence.

The contractor-operated aircraft typically departs from Accra, Ghana, traverses Nigerian airspace, and returns to Ghana, with repeated patterns documented throughout December.

While the precise objectives remain unconfirmed, the timing aligns with Trump’s November designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and his warning of “guns-a-blazing” action if attacks on Christians persist.

The flights also coincide with a separate incident involving a U.S. missionary pilot kidnapped months earlier in neighboring Niger. Nigerian military officials and Ghana’s deputy defense minister declined to comment on the surveillance activity.

In parallel developments, Trump recalled Ambassador Richard Mills from Nigeria, part of a broader reshuffle that removed nearly 30 Biden-era chiefs of mission worldwide. Africa was most affected, with 13 countries—including Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda—losing their ambassadors. The State Department defended the move as aligning diplomacy with “America First” priorities, noting that affected diplomats could seek reassignment in Washington.

Informed observers view the combination of surveillance flights and ambassadorial recalls as multifaceted pressure: enhanced monitoring amid insecurity concerns, coupled with a diplomatic shake-up to install loyalists. Nigeria has yet to issue an official response, but observers warn the developments could strain bilateral ties at a sensitive moment.