The Defence Headquarters has explained that the confusion surrounding reports of the killing of Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, described as ISIS’ second-in-command, was caused by the use of similar names and aliases among terrorist groups operating in the North-East and Lake Chad Basin.
The clarification followed announcements by Donald Trump and Bola Ahmed Tinubu confirming that Al-Minuki was killed during a joint operation involving Nigerian and American troops. Following the announcement, online reports emerged claiming the terrorist leader had earlier been declared dead by the Nigerian military in 2024.
Reacting to the reports in a statement issued on Saturday, DHQ Director of Information, Samaila Uba, said references to a previous operation involving another commander with the same name had created uncertainty over the identity of the recently neutralised insurgent.
According to him, the use of identical names, aliases and nom de guerre is common among ISWAP and Boko Haram members as part of efforts to conceal identities.
“It is important to state that within the North East region and across the Lake Chad Basin, the use of similar or identical names, aliases and nom de guerres is common among ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists,” the statement read.
Uba added that the Al-Minuki killed on May 16, 2026, was positively identified through human intelligence and technical surveillance as a senior global operative linked to international terrorist coordination, funding and operations across the Sahel region.
“There is therefore no ambiguity in his identity,” he stated, describing the operation as a significant breakthrough in ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.
The DHQ also urged the public and media organisations to rely on official sources to avoid confusion arising from similarities in names used by terrorist commanders.
Earlier, the presidency, through Bayo Onanuga, said claims linking Al-Minuki to a 2024 military operation in Kaduna State resulted from mistaken identity. The presidency noted that intelligence later confirmed Birnin Gwari forest, where the earlier operation occurred, was outside Al-Minuki’s operational territory.
It added that the latest operation followed months of intelligence gathering, surveillance, phone interceptions and human intelligence tracking conducted jointly by Nigerian and American security operatives.
