President Bola Tinubu has confirmed the killing of Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, a senior leader of the Islamic State (ISIS), during a joint counter-terrorism operation carried out by Nigerian and United States forces in the Lake Chad Basin.
In a statement issued from the State House on Saturday, Tinubu described the operation as a major example of effective international collaboration in the fight against terrorism.
According to the president, the overnight operation was conducted by the Nigerian Armed Forces in close coordination with the United States Armed Forces.
“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” Tinubu stated.
He said preliminary assessments confirmed the killing of Al-Manuki alongside several of his lieutenants during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
Tinubu commended the partnership between Nigeria and the United States in advancing shared security objectives and expressed appreciation to Donald Trump for his leadership and support for the operation.
“Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives. I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort,” he said.
The president also praised security personnel from both countries for their professionalism and courage during the mission, expressing optimism that the operation would pave the way for more decisive actions against terrorist enclaves across the country.
Trump explains how Al-Manuki was killed
Meanwhile, Trump, in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, described Al-Manuki as the “most active terrorist in the world” and said the operation was a “meticulously planned and very complex mission.”
“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,” Trump said.
According to him, the operation was made possible through intelligence sources that tracked the ISIS commander’s activities and movements across Africa.
Trump added that the removal of Al-Manuki would significantly weaken ISIS global operations and reduce its ability to coordinate attacks, including plots targeting American interests.
“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished. Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation,” he added.
Although neither Nigerian nor U.S. authorities disclosed the exact location or full operational details of the mission, security and intelligence sources familiar with extremist activities in the Lake Chad region described Al-Manuki as one of the most influential foreign ISIS operatives deployed to West Africa in recent years.
A counter-insurgency expert on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, said the killing of Al-Manuki and other terrorists could help restore relative peace in the region.
According to Makama, Al-Manuki reportedly arrived in the region alongside nearly 60 foreign fighters tasked with strengthening the operational capabilities of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) across Nigeria and the wider Sahel.
He said the group introduced new battlefield tactics that significantly altered insurgent operations in the North-east, including increased night assaults on military formations, coordinated raids using mobile attack teams, deployment of armed drones for surveillance and attacks, renewed suicide bombing operations, and the sophisticated use of improvised explosive devices.
Makama noted that the emergence of armed drone tactics among insurgent groups in the Lake Chad Basin had become a major concern for Nigerian security agencies because the methods mirrored warfare techniques previously associated with ISIS operations in Iraq and Syria.
He added that Al-Manuki was believed to have coordinated international funding channels, communications, training support, and strategic guidance between ISIS central leadership and ISWAP factions operating in West Africa.
According to the analyst, the operation marks one of the most significant joint counter-terrorism actions involving Nigerian and U.S. forces in recent years.
He said the successful targeting of such a senior ISIS figure suggested deeper intelligence penetration into extremist networks operating across the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
Makama added that while the operation could disrupt ISWAP’s command structure, weaken operational coordination, and create distrust within militant ranks, it did not necessarily signal the end of the insurgency.
“The group has repeatedly demonstrated resilience despite leadership losses, sustained offensives, and internal divisions,” he said.
He stressed that long-term success against extremist groups would depend on sustained intelligence operations, regional cooperation, stabilisation programmes, and addressing governance and economic challenges in conflict-affected communities.
