Presidents Bola Tinubu of Nigeria and Donald Trump of the United States have announced the successful elimination of a top Islamic State (ISIS) commander in a joint military operation in northeastern Nigeria.
The operation targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki also known as Abu-Mainok or Abu Bilal Minuki, described by US officials as the global second-in-command of ISIS and one of the group’s most active operational leaders in Africa.
He was killed along with several lieutenants during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin on the night of May 15, 2026.
In a statement from Aso Villa, President Tinubu said: “Early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.”
He thanked President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in advancing shared security goals.
In the same vein, President Trump announced on Truth Social, stating: “Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield.” He added that al-Minuki “thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.”
The 2024 Precedent
The high-profile announcement has raised eyebrows among military observers and security analysts.
Official records from Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters show that the same terrorist kingpin was declared dead more than two years ago.
In March 2024, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, listed “Abu Bilal Minuki Head of Is-Al Furqan Province (ISGS and ISWAP)” among the terrorists neutralised in operations between January and March 2024.
The Defence Headquarters had boasted the elimination alongside other commanders as part of a campaign that killed over 2,300 terrorists in the first quarter of that year.
A security analyst, speaking anonymously, expressed shock: “It is shocking and unbelievable… It is embarrassing that the same terrorist who was killed two years ago by the Nigerian military has resurrected. This is indeed unfortunate.”
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian from Borno State, was sanctioned by the US as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023. Whether this represents the same individual surviving or a successor using the name, both Trump and Tinubu have declared the ISIS deputy permanently removed for the second time..
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