The Presidency has disclosed that security officials are 100 per cent certain that the number-two man of the Islamic State (ISIS), Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki has now been killed, explaining the terrorist was wrongly reported dead in 2024 as a result of mistaken identity during ongoing counterinsurgency operations.
This clarification was made by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, came after old reports attributed to the Nigerian Defence Headquarters resurfaced online, claiming that Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki had been among terrorist leaders killed along the Kaduna–Birnin Gwari axis in 2024.
The re-circulation of the reports sparked allegations that the Nigerian military was engaging in counter-terrorism propaganda, a claim some security experts warned could undermine troops’ morale and public confidence in military operations.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has also weighed in on the development, clarifying that terrorist commanders often adopt similar names and aliases as part of their indoctrination strategy to conceal their true identities.
Top Society reported yesterday that the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has released footage of the joint military operation between the United States and Nigeria that led to the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.
In a statement shared on X at the weekend, Onanuga acknowledged that Al-Manuki’s name had appeared among ISWAP commanders allegedly eliminated during military operations around the Birnin Gwari forest axis in Kaduna State in 2024, adding that security agencies later discovered that the identification was inaccurate.
According to him, intelligence findings showed that the Birnin Gwari area was never part of Al-Manuki’s known operational territory, making the earlier assessment unreliable.
“Security officials now clarify that the earlier listing was a case of mistaken identity or misattribution in the fog of sustained counterinsurgency operations.
“Importantly, intelligence now confirms that the Birnin Gwari theatre was never within Al-Manuki’s established operational sphere, which negates the accuracy of the earlier assessment,” he stated.
Onanuga explained that the latest operation followed months of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance activities, including communication tracking and phone intercepts that reportedly began in December 2025.
He added that security operatives initially planned to capture Al-Manuki alive, which was why he was placed under close monitoring across different locations, including Abuja and Maiduguri, before the final strike was authorised.
The presidential aide said authorities carried out several layers of verification before launching the operation, insisting that this case was different from previous situations where terror commanders were wrongly declared dead.
“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.
“In their assessment, ‘this time, there is no ambiguity,” Onanuga, stressing that security officials were “100 per cent certain” that Al-Manuki was the target eliminated in the operation.
On his part, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, explained that “within the North East region and across the Lake Chad Basin, the use of similar or identical names, aliases and nom de guerres is common among ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists. This is essentially part of their indoctrination programme which is aimed at deliberately obscuring identities.
This fact has been established over the years in the course of counter-terrorism operations in the Northeast of Nigeria.
“The Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki eliminated on 16 May, 2026 has been positively identified through human intelligence and technical surveillance as a senior global operative within the Islamic State network, with direct links to international terrorist coordination, funding and operations across the Sahel. There is therefore no ambiguity in his identity.
“The strike is a significant milestone in our counter-terrorism efforts. The Armed Forces of Nigeria, in partnership with the United States, remain committed to dismantling terrorist networks and will continue to provide verified information through official channels.”
