The Presidency has clarified that earlier reports in 2024 claiming the death of ISIS deputy leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, were based on mistaken identity, stressing that the latest operation against the terrorist leader was fully confirmed and accurate.
This follows the announcement by US President Donald Trump of Al-Manuki’s killing in a joint operation involving American and Nigerian forces. President Bola Tinubu also confirmed the collaboration between both countries in the mission.
After the announcement, online claims resurfaced suggesting that the ISIS commander had already been declared dead during a 2024 military operation in Kaduna State.
However, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, dismissed the claims, explaining that security authorities had reviewed the earlier report and concluded it was a case of misidentification during counterterrorism operations.
He said intelligence records had previously placed Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok or Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, among suspected insurgents believed to have been eliminated during operations around the Birnin Gwari axis in Kaduna.
According to him, further security assessments later confirmed that the earlier listing was inaccurate due to confusion in battlefield reporting.
Onanuga noted that intelligence analysis later revealed that Birnin Gwari was not within the commander’s actual operational base, raising doubts about the earlier conclusion.
He added that the latest operation was carried out after months of surveillance, intelligence tracking, phone monitoring, and coordination between Nigerian and US security agencies.
According to the statement, efforts were initially made to capture the suspect alive before the final strike was authorised based on verified intelligence.
He stressed that, unlike the earlier incident, the recent operation involved stronger verification processes, multiple intelligence sources, and higher precision targeting.
Onanuga also said that lessons from past global counterterrorism operations, including cases involving Abubakar Shekau and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, show that intelligence errors can occur in complex security environments.
He added that such situations reflect the difficulty of asymmetric warfare rather than operational failure.
The Presidency further warned that dismissing confirmed military successes could undermine public confidence and affect morale within security agencies.
Despite past errors, authorities maintained that the latest operation against Al-Manuki was fully validated, describing it as a successful intelligence-led strike against a top ISIS figure.
They reiterated that there is now “100 percent certainty” regarding the outcome of the operation.
Sources: Vanguard Nigeria, Reuters, Channels Television.