The Presidency has dismissed claims that Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), was previously killed in 2024, describing the earlier reports as a case of mistaken identity.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that the recent Nigerian-United States military operation which eliminated the terrorist leader was based on extensive intelligence gathering and thorough verification.
In a statement shared on X on Saturday, Onanuga said critics questioning the authenticity of the operation failed to understand the complexities of modern counterterrorism missions.
According to him, Al-Manuki’s name had appeared in earlier reports involving suspected ISWAP and Boko Haram commanders allegedly killed during military operations in the Birnin Gwari forest area of Kaduna State in 2024. However, security agencies have now confirmed that the earlier identification was incorrect.
He stated that intelligence findings later revealed that Birnin Gwari was not part of Al-Manuki’s known operational territory, making the earlier claim inaccurate.
Onanuga further disclosed that the latest operation followed months of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) activities, including communications tracking and phone intercepts which reportedly began in December 2025.
Security sources said the operation involved prolonged monitoring, digital surveillance, and human intelligence used to trace the movements of the ISWAP commander across several locations in northern Nigeria.
The Presidency also revealed that authorities initially planned to capture Al-Manuki alive, which explained why he remained under surveillance in places such as Abuja and Maiduguri shortly before the final strike.
Officials added that the operation was carried out with a much higher level of precision and verification than previous missions, stressing that multiple layers of intelligence confirmation were completed before the strike was approved.
According to security authorities, unlike previous incidents where battlefield assessments later changed, the latest operation leaves “no ambiguity” regarding the death of the ISWAP commander.
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