The Presidency on Saturday confirmed the killing of senior Islamic State leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, during a joint military operation carried out by Nigerian and United States forces, insisting that earlier reports claiming he had been killed in 2024 were based on mistaken identity.
The clarification followed growing public debate and scepticism after former United States President Donald Trump announced the operation on Friday night.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said intelligence and security officials had now confirmed beyond doubt that Al-Manuki was the terrorist commander eliminated during the latest operation.
In a statement shared on X on Saturday, Onanuga explained that Al-Manuki’s name had appeared in earlier reports linked to military operations conducted around the Birnin Gwari forest area of Kaduna State in 2024.
However, he said security agencies later discovered that the earlier report 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,” Onanuga stated.
He added that intelligence findings later showed that the Birnin Gwari axis was not part of Al-Manuki’s known operational territory, making the previous claim unreliable.
“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 said.
According to the Presidency, the latest operation was based on months of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance activities involving both Nigerian and American security agencies.
Onanuga disclosed that communications tracking and phone intercepts linked to the terrorist commander had reportedly been ongoing since December 2025.
He explained that security operatives initially planned to capture Al-Manuki alive and had therefore placed him under close monitoring in several locations, including Abuja and Maiduguri, before the final strike was approved.
“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.
“In their assessment, this time, there is no ambiguity.”
The Presidency said authorities were now “100 per cent certain” about the identity of the terrorist commander killed in the operation.
The announcement comes against the background of previous counterterrorism operations around the world where wanted terrorist leaders were wrongly declared dead, only to reappear later.
One example frequently cited by critics is former Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who was declared dead several times before his eventual confirmed death in 2021.
Onanuga, however, warned Nigerians against dismissing the latest operation because of past mistakes, saying modern counterterrorism history also shows that some initially disputed reports were later confirmed.
He cited the example of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whose death was wrongly reported at different times before it was eventually confirmed by international forces years later.
The presidential aide said undermining credible military operations involving Nigerian forces and international partners could weaken public confidence in ongoing efforts to tackle terrorism.
“Undermining credible joint operations, particularly those involving Nigerian forces and international partners, risks weakening public confidence in ongoing counterterrorism efforts,” he said.
Trump had earlier announced the operation through a post on his Truth Social platform, describing Al-Manuki as “the most active terrorist in the world” and “second in command of ISIS globally.”
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” Trump wrote.
United States Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, also confirmed the operation on Saturday.
According to Hegseth, Al-Manuki served as the senior ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Emir and played a major role in coordinating attacks, hostage-taking operations and financial activities for the terrorist group across the Sahel region.
The United States Africa Command also reportedly released video footage showing targeted strikes against ISIS militants in northeastern Nigeria, further supporting claims that the operation was successful.
President Tinubu, in a separate statement, praised the joint mission and described it as a major victory against terrorism.
He said the operation had dealt “a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State” and commended the cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
Tinubu also described the collaboration as a strong example of international partnership against terrorism and insecurity.
Al-Manuki, also known by several aliases including Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, Abor Mainok and Abubakar Mainok, was born in 1982 in Mainok town in Borno State.
According to information released by American authorities, he became a leading figure within the Islamic State West Africa Province after the killing of ISWAP leader, Mamman Nur, in 2018.
He was also reportedly linked to the ISIS al-Furqan office network, which coordinates extremist activities across Nigeria, the Sahel region and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
The United States Department of State designated him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in June 2023.
Nigeria has spent years battling insurgency in the North-East, particularly in Borno State, where Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters have carried out attacks on military formations, villages and civilians.
The conflict, which began more than a decade ago, has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions of people across the region.
Although Nigerian troops have recorded major victories against insurgent groups in recent years, security agencies continue to face challenges from terrorist attacks, kidnappings and cross-border criminal networks operating within the Lake Chad region and the wider Sahel.
The latest operation is expected to strengthen security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States as both countries continue efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism in West Africa.