The Presidency has defended the reported killing of senior Islamic State West Africa Province commander Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, insisting that previous claims linking the terrorist leader to a 2024 military operation were based on mistaken identity rather than misinformation.
Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued the clarification on Saturday following public doubts surrounding the operation jointly carried out by Nigerian and United States forces.
Questions had emerged after reports resurfaced suggesting Al-Manuki had already been declared dead during military operations in Kaduna State in 2024.
Responding to the controversy in a statement posted on X, Onanuga said security agencies had now established that the earlier report was inaccurate and resulted from confusion during ongoing counterinsurgency operations.
According to him, intelligence findings showed that the Birnin Gwari forest axis, where the earlier operation occurred, was outside Al-Manuki’s recognised area of activity.
“Security officials now clarify that the earlier listing was a case of mistaken identity or misattribution in the fog of sustained counterinsurgency operations,” Onanuga stated.
He added that the latest operation followed months of coordinated Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance efforts involving communications monitoring and phone intercepts that reportedly began in December 2025.
The presidential aide disclosed that security operatives had initially hoped to capture Al-Manuki alive, leading to extended surveillance across locations including Abuja and Maiduguri before the final strike was authorised.
According to Onanuga, authorities carried out several layers of verification before approving the operation and were fully certain of the target’s identity.
“In their assessment, this time, there is no ambiguity,” he said, adding that officials were “100 per cent certain” Al-Manuki was the individual killed.
The operation was first announced on Friday by Donald Trump, who described Al-Manuki as “the most active terrorist in the world” and the “second in command of ISIS globally.”
Trump said American forces worked alongside the Nigerian military in what he described as a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” to eliminate the ISWAP leader.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later confirmed that Al-Manuki served as the senior ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Emir, overseeing attacks, hostage operations and financing activities across the Sahel region.
The United States Africa Command also released footage of targeted strikes against suspected ISIS militants in northeastern Nigeria in support of the claims.
In a separate statement, President Tinubu described the mission as a significant blow against the Islamic State network and praised the collaboration between Nigerian and American forces as a strong example of international counterterrorism cooperation.
Al-Manuki, whose real name was Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, was born in Mainok, Borno State, in 1982. He was also known by aliases including Abor Mainok and Abubakar Mainok.
The United States Department of State designated him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023 due to his senior role within ISWAP and alleged links to ISIS operational networks across Nigeria and the Sahel.
Public scepticism over the latest announcement has been fuelled by Nigeria’s history of premature declarations regarding the deaths of terrorist leaders, especially repeated claims surrounding former Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau before his death was eventually confirmed in 2021.
However, Onanuga warned against dismissing the latest operation, arguing that undermining verified joint military efforts could weaken public confidence in ongoing counterterrorism campaigns.
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