Presidency Affirms Al-Manuki’s Killing, Says 2024 Report Was A Case Of Mistaken Identity
The Presidency has refuted claims that Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander reportedly killed in a joint Nigeria–United States military operation, had previously been declared dead in an earlier strike, describing such reports as a case of mistaken identity.
The Presidency has refuted claims that Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander reportedly killed in a joint Nigeria–United States military operation, had previously been declared dead in an earlier strike, describing such reports as a case of mistaken identity.
The clarification was issued by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, following public debate over the authenticity of the operation announced by former U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday night.
In a post shared on his X handle on Saturday, Onanuga acknowledged that Al-Manuki’s name had earlier appeared on lists of ISWAP commanders said to have been eliminated in 2024 during military operations around the Birnin Gwari forest axis in Kaduna State.
However, he explained that security agencies have now determined that the earlier attribution was incorrect.
“Security officials now clarify that the earlier listing was a case of mistaken identity or misattribution in the fog of sustained counterinsurgency operations,” he said.
He further noted that intelligence assessments now show the Birnin Gwari theatre was never part of Al-Manuki’s established area of operation, rendering the earlier reports inaccurate.
Onanuga said the latest operation was the outcome of months of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), supported by communications tracking and phone intercepts that allegedly began in December 2025.
According to him, security agencies initially aimed to capture Al-Manuki alive, which informed prolonged surveillance across several locations, including Abuja and Maiduguri, prior to the final strike.
“Officials maintain that multiple layers of verification were applied before authorisation of the final kinetic action, making this operation distinct from earlier incidents in which battlefield assessments later required revision,” he added.
He stressed that authorities are fully confident in the outcome of the latest operation, stating that there is “no ambiguity” regarding the identity of the target and that officials are “100 per cent certain” this time.
US President Donald Trump had via his Truth Social Platform noted that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the terrorist group’s second-in-command globally, had been eliminated.
According to the US president, the operation was executed by “brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria” and successfully eliminated what he described as “the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield.”
Trump noted that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki had been hiding in Africa while coordinating terrorist activities linked to the Islamic State group.
“Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing,” Trump wrote.
Reacting to the development, President Tinubu noted that the feat is a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.
“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State.
“Early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin”, Tinubu said.
The President appreciated the partnership with the United States in advancing shared security objectives.
