Three United States military aircraft carrying troops and military equipment have arrived in Maiduguri, marking the start of a new phase of security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
According to a report by the New York Times, the first aircraft landed in Maiduguri on Thursday night. Officials from both countries confirmed that an initial group of about 100 US troops is expected to arrive over the weekend. By Friday evening, three aircraft had reportedly touched down, with equipment seen being offloaded from at least one of the planes.
A US Defence Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the operation, said the arrivals are part of a wider deployment involving C-17 cargo planes heading to three locations across Nigeria. Additional aircraft carrying personnel and equipment are expected in the coming days and weeks.
Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters moved quickly to clarify the role of the foreign troops. Speaking earlier to the Wall Street Journal, and later quoted by the New York Times, the Defence spokesperson, Major General Samaila Uba, stressed that the US personnel will not take part in combat.
“These personnel do not serve in a combat capacity and will not assume a direct operational role,” he said. “Nigerian forces retain full command authority, make all operational decisions and will lead all missions on Nigerian sovereign territory.”
Major General Uba explained that the deployment followed recommendations from a joint US–Nigeria working group and that the troops would serve in advisory and support roles at multiple sites.
The development comes amid renewed international attention on Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly in the northeast. It also follows months of pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Nigeria’s government over what he describes as a failure to adequately protect Christian communities from attacks by Islamist militants and armed groups.
Officials on both sides say the deployment is aimed at strengthening intelligence, coordination, and capacity-building efforts, as Nigeria continues to confront insurgency and insecurity in several parts of the country.
Source: Africa Publicity
