The Presidency has addressed controversies surrounding reports of the elimination of senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, clarifying that earlier claims of his death in 2024 were based on mistaken identity.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the clarification in a statement posted on 𝕏 on Saturday.

The statement followed public skepticism over reports that Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok or Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, was recently eliminated during a joint Nigerian-American military operation.

Questions had emerged after the terrorist commander’s name reportedly appeared among those listed as killed during military operations in 2024 around the Birnin Gwari forest axis in Kaduna State.

However, Onanuga explained that security and intelligence authorities have now confirmed that the earlier report was inaccurate and resulted from misidentification during ongoing counterinsurgency operations.

According to him, intelligence findings later showed that the Birnin Gwari axis was not within Al-Manuki’s established area of operation, casting doubt on the credibility of the previous assessment.

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In the statement, Onanuga defended the latest operation, insisting that it was conducted with a far higher level of intelligence gathering, surveillance, and operational precision.

He stated that the recent mission was the outcome of months of coordinated Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) efforts involving both Nigerian and United States military support.

According to security sources referenced in the statement, the tracking process reportedly began as far back as December 2025 through communications monitoring, digital surveillance, and phone intercepts.

Officials disclosed that intelligence teams spent months mapping the ISWAP commander’s movements across several locations in northern Nigeria before the final operation was approved.

The statement further revealed that security agencies initially aimed to capture Al-Manuki alive rather than eliminate him immediately.

As part of the surveillance efforts, he was reportedly monitored in locations including Abuja and Maiduguri shortly before the operation that led to his death.

Onanuga said the prolonged tracking reflected attempts by intelligence units to tighten surveillance around the suspect while avoiding actions that could compromise the operation prematurely.

The Presidency maintained that unlike previous battlefield reports that later required corrections, the latest operation involved multiple layers of verification and target confirmation before military action was authorised.

Security authorities also insisted that extensive cross-checking and multi-source intelligence validation were conducted to ensure accuracy.

According to officials quoted in the statement, there is now “no ambiguity” regarding the identity of the ISWAP commander killed in the operation.

The development comes amid continued military offensives against insurgent groups operating in parts of northern Nigeria, where security agencies have intensified operations targeting Boko Haram and ISWAP strongholds.

Observers say the clarification from the Presidency highlights the complexities of counterterrorism operations, especially in situations where battlefield intelligence can sometimes lead to premature or inaccurate assessments.