The Defence Headquarters has clarified concerns surrounding the recent killing of terrorist commander Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, insisting that the insurgent neutralised during a joint Nigerian-American operation on Friday was a verified senior operative linked to the global Islamic State network.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said the clarification became necessary following public reactions and media reports referencing a similar counter-terrorism operation in 2024 involving a terrorist commander bearing the same name.
According to the military, the reports triggered questions over whether the individual recently killed was the same person earlier declared eliminated.
“The Defence Headquarters wishes to provide clarification following emerging public discourse regarding the recent neutralisation of a high-profile terrorist commander, Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, during a joint operation with the United States Africa Command on 16 May, 2026,” the statement read.
Uba explained that the use of identical names, aliases and nom de guerres is common among members of ISWAP and Boko Haram operating across the North-East and the Lake Chad Basin.
“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,” he said.
According to him, the practice forms part of the extremist groups’ indoctrination strategy aimed at concealing identities and creating operational confusion.
“This is essentially part of their indoctrination programme which is aimed at deliberately obscuring identities. This fact has been established over the years in the course of counter-terrorism operations in the North-East of Nigeria,” the Defence spokesman added.
The military further stated that the Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki killed on May 16, 2026, had been positively identified through both human intelligence and technical surveillance.
“The Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki eliminated on 16 May, 2026 has been positively identified through human intelligence and technical surveillance as a senior global operative within the Islamic State network, with direct links to international terrorist coordination, funding and operations across the Sahel. There is therefore no ambiguity in his identity,” Uba stated.
The Defence Headquarters described the operation as “a significant milestone” in Nigeria’s ongoing counter-terrorism campaign.
It added that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, working alongside the United States Africa Command, would continue efforts to dismantle terrorist networks operating within the region.
The military also urged the media and the public to rely only on verified official information to avoid misinformation arising from coincidental similarities in terrorist aliases.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria, in partnership with the United States, remain committed to dismantling terrorist networks and will continue to provide verified information through official channels,” the statement added.
