Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga has defended reports surrounding the killing of ISWAP commander Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, insisting that the latest Nigerian-American counterterrorism operation was based on extensive intelligence gathering and precise target verification.
In a statement posted on X on Saturday, Onanuga said the controversy trailing the reported elimination of the insurgent leader exposed “the gulf between public sceptics and the realities of modern counterterrorism operations.”
Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok or Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, had previously been listed among suspected ISWAP commanders reportedly killed during military operations in 2024 around the Birnin Gwari forest axis in Kaduna State. However, security sources now say the earlier report was a case of mistaken identity.
According to the statement, intelligence officials clarified that Birnin Gwari was never within Al-Manuki’s established operational territory, making the previous assessment inaccurate.
Onanuga stated that the latest operation followed months of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), supported by communications monitoring and phone intercepts that reportedly began in December 2025.
“The intelligence trail did not emerge overnight,” the statement noted, adding that security operatives relied on “persistent tracking, digital surveillance, and human intelligence inputs” to monitor the ISWAP commander’s movements across northern Nigeria.
Security sources further disclosed that efforts initially focused on capturing Al-Manuki alive, which explained why he was reportedly tracked in locations including Abuja and Maiduguri before the final strike was authorised.
Onanuga maintained that the operation involved “a significantly higher degree of precision, target validation, and multi-source intelligence confirmation” than previous missions.
“In their assessment, ‘this time, there is no ambiguity,’” the statement added.
The statement also referenced past global counterterrorism operations where high-profile terrorist leaders were wrongly declared dead before later resurfacing, including former Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Onanuga argued that such historical cases reflected the complexities of intelligence gathering in asymmetric warfare rather than outright operational failure.
He warned that dismissing verified military operations could undermine public confidence and affect morale among security personnel engaged in counterinsurgency efforts.
“For now, military authorities remain firm in their position,” the statement concluded. “The latest operation that targeted Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki represents a validated, intelligence-driven success against a senior figure of the Islamic State network.”