Presidency Clears Air On Claim ISIS Commander Was K!lled In 2024

According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, earlier reports suggesting that Al-Manuki was killed during a 2024 operation were based on mistaken identity.

Onanuga explained that the terrorist commander’s name had appeared among suspected ISWAP and Boko Haram leaders reportedly neutralised during operations in the Birnin Gwari forest area of Kaduna State. However, subsequent intelligence assessments revealed that the earlier report was a misattribution, noting that the region was outside Al-Manuki’s known area of operation.

The presidential aide stated that the latest operation, conducted jointly by Nigerian and United States military forces, was backed by extensive intelligence gathering and a much higher level of target verification.

According to official sources, the mission was the culmination of months of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance efforts, including communications monitoring and phone intercepts that reportedly began in December 2025.

Security officials disclosed that authorities initially sought to apprehend Al-Manuki alive, which accounted for prolonged surveillance of his movements in locations such as Abuja and Maiduguri before the final strike was authorised.

The Presidency noted that the operation involved multiple layers of validation and coordination, distinguishing it from previous battlefield assessments that later required correction.

Officials maintained that the latest strike was executed with a significantly greater degree of precision and intelligence confirmation, stressing that there is now no uncertainty regarding the elimination of the notorious ISWAP commander.