The Presidency has dismissed 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, amid public debate over the authenticity of the operation announced by former U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday night.
In a post 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 killed in 2024 during military operations around the Birnin Gwari forest axis in Kaduna State.
However, he explained that security agencies now believe the earlier report was incorrect, attributing it to mistaken identity or misattribution amid ongoing counterinsurgency operations.
“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.
Onanuga further stated that intelligence assessments indicate the Birnin Gwari theatre was not within Al-Manuki’s established area of operation, making the earlier attribution unreliable.
He added that the latest operation was the result of months of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), supported by communications monitoring and phone intercepts that allegedly began in December 2025.
According to him, security agencies initially intended to capture Al-Manuki alive, which led to extended surveillance across multiple locations, including Abuja and Maiduguri, before the final strike was authorised.
“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 said.
Onanuga stressed that authorities are fully confident in the outcome of the latest operation, insisting there is “no ambiguity” over the identity of the target and that officials are “100 per cent certain” this time.
Trump had earlier announced on his Truth Social platform that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as ISIS’s second-in-command globally, was killed in the joint operation involving “brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”
He said the strike eliminated what he described as “the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” adding that Al-Manuki had been hiding in Africa while coordinating terrorist activities linked to the Islamic State group.
Reacting to the development, President Tinubu described the operation as a major breakthrough in the fight against terrorism and an example of effective international cooperation.
“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,” Tinubu said.
He added that early assessments confirmed the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike in the Lake Chad Basin, while also expressing appreciation for continued U.S. support in counterterrorism efforts.
