There is growing confusion over the reported killing of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, Abu Bilal Minuki, also known as Abubakar Mainok, after Nigerian authorities first announced his death in 2024.…....
Recall it was reported that the President of the US, Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social handle, announced the killing of Abubakar Mainok, describing him as the most active terrorist on earth.
“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 posted.
Trump said the killing of the suspect would weaken ISIS operations globally and reduce threats against Americans and people across Africa.
He also thanked the Nigerian government for what he described as its partnership in the operation.
“Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished. Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
President Bola Tinubu also confirmed the killing and thanked American forces for the collaboration.
President Tinubu, in a personally signed statement, described the operation as a “significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism,” confirming that Nigerian troops worked alongside United States forces in a “daring joint operation” targeting a terrorist enclave.
“Early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin,” Tinubu had stated.
He further praised the operation as a milestone in Nigeria–US security cooperation and expressed gratitude to President Trump for what he described as leadership and support in counterterrorism efforts.
“I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort,” Tinubu said.
Al-Minuki died in 2024
However, checks revealed that in April 2024, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters had publicly listed Abu Bilal Minuki among the top terrorist commanders neutralised during military operations across the North between January and March 2024.
The announcement, made by the then Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, identified Minuki as the “Head of IS-Al Furqan Province (ISGS and ISWAP).”
He was listed alongside several other commanders allegedly killed in coordinated operations across multiple theatres of conflict.
According to the military briefing at the time, Minuki, also known as Abubakar Mainok — was a notorious insurgent who had operated around the Birnin Gwari forest axis in Kaduna State as well as along the Abuja–Kaduna highway.
Buba had told journalists at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja that Minuki was eliminated on February 21, 2024, during ongoing clearance operations.
He further explained that the wider operations that month also led to the killing of several high-ranking terrorist figures, including Kachallah Damina and over 50 fighters in a single encounter on March 24, 2024.
“The armed forces are fighting a vicious enemy in the ongoing operations across the country,” Buba said at the time, adding that troops were “hunting them and striking them where they may be hiding and hibernating.”
