Senior Nigerian military officials have denied reports that United States aircraft recently dropped weapons and equipment in Borno and Kaduna states to support the Armed Forces in combating terrorism and insecurity.
The claims, which circulated widely on social media last week, cited a report by The New York Times suggesting that three US military planes landed in Nigeria between Thursday and Friday, with at least one offloading ammunition and other military equipment in Maiduguri, Borno State.
“These initial flights are the vanguard of what will be a stream of C-17 transport flights into three main locations across Nigeria,” a US Department of Defense official was quoted as saying.
However, when contacted for comment, senior sources at Defence Headquarters and the Army said they were unaware of any such deliveries. A source at the Army headquarters confirmed that no US aircraft landed in Kaduna or elsewhere last week.
From the theatre commands, another source clarified that the social media reports of arms being dropped in Borno were “fake and baseless.”
An airport official at Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the aircraft that landed last Friday was a Max Air flight carrying Nigerian troops, not US planes.
The military also highlighted that, under ongoing bilateral agreements, Nigeria has received pledges for support from countries including the US, UK, and France. This includes intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and other combat enablers, separate from existing partnerships that have been ongoing for months.
The clarification comes amid heightened collaboration between Nigeria and the US on security, following which American forces reportedly launched 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.
