Exclusive: The U.S. has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria.
according to flight tracking data and current and former U.S. officials, in a sign of increased security cooperation between the countries.
The U.S. contractor-operated aircraft used for the surveillance operations typically takes off from Ghana and flies over Nigeria before returning to Accra, the Ghanaian capital, the tracking data for December shows.
Flight tracking data shows the operator is Mississippi-based Tenax Aerospace, which provides special mission aircraft and works closely with the U.S. military, according to the company’s website. Tenax Aerospace did not respond to a request for comment.