Three United States military aircraft have landed at the Nigerian Air Force base in Maiduguri, Borno State, amid ongoing security concerns in Nigeria’s northeast.
Details of the development were shared on Saturday by a Sahel security expert, Brant Philip, in a post on X. According to him, a total of six United States Air Force cargo aircraft arrived in West Africa between February 6 and 14, 2026, as part of what he described as preparations for a possible US-backed military offensive against the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Philip stated that all six aircraft initially stopped in Accra, Ghana, before continuing to other destinations within the region. Of the six planes, five reportedly proceeded to Nigerian Air Force bases across the country.
He explained that one C-17A aircraft landed at the Nigerian Air Force base in Kainji, while the remaining four aircraft arrived in Maiduguri. These included one C-130J-30 aircraft and three C-17A cargo planes that touched down at the Maiduguri Airbase.
In his post, Philip wrote that the movement of the aircraft suggests heightened military activity in the region, particularly in areas affected by insurgency. He noted that the timing and scale of the deployment point to possible preparations for intensified operations targeting ISWAP strongholds in Nigeria’s northeast.
Neither the Nigerian military nor the United States authorities have officially commented on the aircraft movements or confirmed the purpose of the deployment as of the time of reporting.
Borno State has remained the epicentre of insurgent activities by ISWAP and Boko Haram factions, with sustained military operations aimed at degrading the groups’ capacity and restoring stability to the region. The arrival of the US military aircraft has therefore drawn attention amid ongoing efforts to address insecurity in the area.
