Nigerians, on Saturday, woke up to the news that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior ISIS leader, had been killed in a joint military operation by the Nigerian and the U.S government.
Both the Nigerian and the U.S governments confirmed that the ISIS Leader was killed in a joint military operation in the Lake Chad Basin.
President Bola Tinubu described the operation as a “daring joint operation” that dealt a heavy blow to ISIS ranks, while U.S President Donald Trump said the militant was “the most active terrorist in the world” and the “second in command of ISIS globally.”
Below are some things about Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, the ISIS leader killed in a joint Nigerian-U.S military operation;
1. He was identified as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Mainuki, also known as Abu Bilal Al-Minuki, Abor Mainok, and Abubakar Mainok.
According to the Counter Extremism Project, he was born in 1982 in Mainok, Benisheikh, Borno State, Nigeria, and is a Nigerian national.
2. Al-Minuki was described as a senior ISIS leader in the Sahel, operating within the Lake Chad division of ISIS’s General Directorate of Provinces.
He was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States Department of State on June 8, 2023, over his links to ISIS operations.
3. He was linked to ISIS’s al-Furqan office network, which provides operational coordination and strategic guidance across Nigeria, the Sahel, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
It was gathered that he rose to prominence following the 2018 killing of ISWAP leader Mamman Nur, becoming a key commander within ISIS-aligned structures in the Lake Chad Basin.
He was also reported to have been involved in internal factional tensions within extremist groups, including strained relations with Boko Haram leadership under Abubakar Shekau.
4. He was active in Lake Chad-based extremist operations and formed part of ISIS’s wider command structure across West Africa and the Sahel, where the group maintains multiple regional provinces.
5. The Defence Headquarters said Al-Manuki was a former Boko Haram commander before pledging allegiance to ISIS in 2015, marking his transition into global jihadist networks.
6. According to the DHQ, he oversaw weapons manufacturing, explosives development, drone capabilities, and global media operations within ISIS.
He was also described as a key figure in the group’s propaganda and communication architecture.
7. He reportedly provided guidance to ISIS affiliates outside Nigeria on economic warfare and operational strategy, making him a central node in the group’s global coordination structure.
