Nigerian Military Reacts To Report Of US Aircraft Dropping Arms In Borno, Kaduna

Senior Nigerian military officials have dismissed reports claiming that aircraft from the United States recently delivered weapons and military equipment to Borno State and Kaduna State to aid counterterrorism and security operations.

The claims, which circulated widely on social media last week, referenced a report by The New York Times alleging that three US military planes landed in Nigeria between Thursday and Friday, with at least one offloading ammunition and other equipment in Maiduguri, Borno State.

According to the report, a US Department of Defence official was quoted as saying, “These initial flights are the vanguard of what will be a stream of C-17 transport flights into three main locations across Nigeria.”

However, senior sources at Defence Headquarters and the Nigerian Army who spoke with Vanguard said they were unaware of any such deliveries.

A source at Army Headquarters confirmed that no US aircraft landed in Kaduna or elsewhere last week. From the theatre commands, another source described the reports of arms being dropped in Borno as “fake and baseless.”

An official at the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, who spoke on condition of anonymity, clarified that the aircraft that landed last Friday was a Max Air flight conveying Nigerian troops and not US military planes.

The official dismissed suggestions that foreign military aircraft had offloaded arms in the country during the period in question.

The military acknowledged that Nigeria maintains ongoing bilateral security cooperation with countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

According to officials, support under these arrangements includes intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as other combat enablers, separate from partnerships that have been in place for months.

The clarification comes amid heightened security collaboration between Nigeria and the US, following reports that American forces conducted operations against ISIS camps in Sokoto State on Christmas Day 2025.

Military authorities reaffirmed that efforts to combat terrorism and insecurity remain ongoing under coordinated strategies with international partners.

However, they stressed that reports of US aircraft dropping arms and equipment in Borno and Kaduna last week are inaccurate and unfounded.