The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has addressed claims that Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, the senior Islamic State West Africa Province commander eliminated in a joint Nigeria-United States military operation, had been killed in a previous operation.
In a statement shared on 𝕏 on Saturday, Onanuga clarified that earlier reports linking the ISIS commander to a 2024 strike were a case of mistaken identity.
Onanuga acknowledged that Al-Manuki’s name had appeared on lists of suspected ISWAP commanders reportedly killed in 2024 during operations around the Birnin Gwari forest axis in Kaduna State, but said security officials had since established that the earlier listing was a misattribution.
The statement read in part, “On the Killing of ISWAP Commander Al-Manuki
“The needless controversy trailing the reported elimination of Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok or Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, described as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has once again exposed the gulf between the public sceptics and the realities of modern counterterrorism operations.
“Doubters of the latest Nigerian-American military successful operation in neutralising the ISWAP leader rushed to question the authenticity of the claim. However, security sources insist that such reactions are premature, unwarranted and not grounded in the full operational context.
“It is acknowledged within military and intelligence circles that Al-Manuki’s name had appeared among lists of suspected ISWAP/Boko Haram commanders reportedly killed in 2024 during operations around the Birnin Gwari forest axis in Kaduna State.
“However, 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.
“This time, however, security and military authorities maintain a far higher level of confidence.
“According to intelligence sources, the latest operation was the result of prolonged Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) efforts, supported by communications monitoring and phone intercepts that reportedly began as far back as 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 to map Al-Manuki’s movements across key locations in northern Nigeria.
“Security officials disclosed that efforts initially focused on capturing him alive rather than eliminating him. This explains why he was reportedly under surveillance in multiple locations, including Abuja and Maiduguri, up to just days before the final operation.
“The coordinated effort suggests that the target had been under sustained pressure, with intelligence units attempting to narrow his movements while avoiding premature exposure of the operation.
“Unlike the previous report, security authorities insist that the latest strike was executed with a significantly higher degree of precision, target validation, and multi-source intelligence confirmation.
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.”