Al-Manuki has been killed – Presidency

…FG dispels doubts over ISWAP commander’s neutralisation

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Presidency has reiterated that there is no reason to doubt that Abu‑Bilal Al‑Manuki, a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has been eliminated, as confirmed by Nigeria’s security authorities, stressing the latest operation was built on months of verified intelligence and carried out with precision.

In a State House statement, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, set out the intelligence trail behind the strike and pushed back on scepticism that has followed earlier, less certain battlefield claims.

“The intelligence trail did not emerge overnight,” the statement said, noting surveillance, communications monitoring and human intelligence that began as far back as December 2025. “This time, there is no ambiguity.”

He said security officials acknowledged an earlier confusion in 2024 when Al‑Manuki’s name was mistakenly linked to operations around Birnin Gwari forest in Kaduna State. They said that was a case of misattribution born of the fog of sustained counterinsurgency work and stressed the Birnin Gwari theatre was never within Al‑Manuki’s operational sphere. That earlier error, they said, only underlines why the multidisciplinary verification for the recent operation was far more rigorous.

“This time, they are 100 per cent certain,” the statement quoted security authorities as saying, reflecting a level of confidence that, officials argue, should quiet lingering doubts.

According to the statement, intelligence agencies used prolonged Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), phone intercepts and human sources to map Al‑Manuki’s movements across northern Nigeria. The operation prioritised capture where possible, the statement added, which explains why the target was monitored in multiple locations — including Abuja and Maiduguri — up to days before the final action.

Officials said multiple layers of confirmation were applied before authorising the kinetic phase, making the strike distinct from past incidents that later required reassessment. International partners, including American intelligence assets, reportedly supported the ISR and verification processes that fed into the operation.

Onanuga noted that Security analysts emphasised that insurgent leaders routinely use aliases, shift locations, and blend into civilian areas, complicating verification. The careful, multilateral approach used in this case, they said, reduces room for error and explains the authorities’ strong assurance.

“Undermining credible joint operations, particularly those involving Nigerian forces and international partners, risks weakening public confidence in ongoing counterterrorism efforts,” the statement warned, urging citizens to trust validated intelligence rather than premature scepticism.

He reminded critics who point to historical false reports — such as earlier misreports concerning other militant leaders — that those mistakes reflect the evolving nature of intelligence, not an inevitable pattern.

The State House statement framed the new confirmation as the product of improved techniques, layered checks and sustained tracking, not hasty battlefield claims.