The Presidency has dismissed what it described as needless controversy surrounding the reported killing of Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok or Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, was reportedly neutralised during a recent joint military operation involving Nigerian and United States forces.
Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, stated this in a statement issued on Saturday titled: “On the Killing of ISWAP Commander Al-Manuki.”
According to him, the controversy surrounding the operation exposed the gulf between the public sceptics and the realities of modern counterterrorism operations.
Onanuga noted that doubters of the operation rrushed to question the authenticity of the claim, but security sources insisted such reactions were premature, unwarranted and not grounded in the full operational context.
He acknowledged that Al-Manuki’s name had earlier appeared among suspected ISWAP and Boko Haram commanders reportedly killed during operations around Birnin Gwari forest in Kaduna State in 2024.
Onanuga, however, stressed that security officials clarified that the earlier report resulted from mistaken identity or misattribution in the fog of sustained counterinsurgency operations.
He said that officials further explained that the Birnin Gwari theatre was never within Al-Manuki’s established operational sphere thereby weakening the accuracy of the earlier assessment.
Onanuga stated that intelligence authorities now possessed a far higher level of confidence regarding the latest operation against the insurgent commander.
According to intelligence sources, the operation followed prolonged Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance efforts supported by communications monitoring and phone intercepts dating back to December 2025.
“The intelligence trail, according to sources familiar with the mission, did not emerge overnight.
“Rather, it was built over months of persistent tracking, digital surveillance, and human intelligence inputs,” he said.
The presidential spokesperson said security officials disclosed that authorities initially focused on capturing Al-Manuki alive, explaining why he was reportedly tracked in locations including Abuja and Maiduguri before the operation.
He said that the coordinated effort reflected sustained pressure on the insurgent leader while intelligence units carefully avoided premature exposure of the operation.
The presidency said that unlike previous reports, security authorities insisted the latest strike involved a significantly higher degree of precision, target validation, and multi-source intelligence confirmation before authorisation of the final operation.
Onanuga said that officials maintained that several layers of verification were conducted before the strike, making the latest operation different from earlier incidents requiring subsequent battlefield reassessment.
“In their assessment, ‘this time, there is no ambiguity,’” Onanuga stated, adding that intelligence authorities remained “100 per cent certain” about the success of the operation.
The presidency noted that counterterrorism operations globally often face uncertainty because insurgent groups operate with aliases, fragmented identities and across difficult civilian-populated terrains.
Onanuga said that while public scrutiny remained important in democratic societies, security experts warned that premature dismissal of military operations could undermine operational morale and ongoing counterterrorism efforts.
Also, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has clarified concerns over the identity of Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, on Saturday in Abuja.
Uba stated that the clarification became necessary following media reports referencing a similar operation in 2024 involving a terrorist commander bearing the same name.
He explained that the use of identical names, aliases and nom de guerre is common among ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters, often as part of strategies to obscure identities.
According to him, the Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki eliminated on May 16, 2026 has been positively identified through credible human intelligence and technical surveillance.
He described the neutralised commander 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 no ambiguity regarding the identity of the individual neutralised in the recent operation,” he said.
Uba noted that the operation marked a significant milestone in ongoing counter-terrorism efforts by the Armed Forces of Nigeria in collaboration with international partners.
He urged the public and media to rely on verified information from official sources to avoid confusion arising from name similarities.
The defence spokesman reaffirmed the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to dismantling terrorist networks and sustaining pressure on insurgent groups across the region.
