By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The United States has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, Reuters reports.
Citing December flight tracking data and current and former US officials, the report said the US contractor-operated aircraft used for the surveillance missions typically takes off from Ghana and flies over Nigeria before returning to Accra, the Ghanaian capital.
It is not immediately clear what information the flights are intended to obtain.
A former US official told Reuters the aircraft is among several assets the President Donald Trump administration moved to Ghana in November, a hub for the American military’s logistics network in Africa.
It is also unclear how many aircraft remain in Ghana.
Flight tracking data linked the operator to be Tenax Aerospace, a special mission aircraft provider which works closely with the US military.
The former official said the missions include tracking a US pilot who was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger Republic and gathering intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria.
A serving US official also confirmed that the aircraft has been flying over Nigeria but declined to provide details due to the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue.
According to flight tracking data, the Tenax Aerospace aircraft flew to Ghana on November 24.
The data showed that the aircraft has flown over Nigeria almost daily since the start of the mission.
The aircraft is a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet often modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, according to the data.