Falana Blasts Trump, Tinubu Over ‘False’ ISWAP Commander Killing Claims, Says Nigerian Military Already Declared Terrorist Dead In 2024

Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for relying on claims made by United States President Donald Trump regarding the killing of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, despite the Nigerian military having earlier declared the same terrorist dead in 2024. Falana, in a statement on Saturday titled “President Tinubu Should Stop Relying On President Trump’s False Claims On The Prosecution Of The Counter Insurgency Operations In Nigeria,” urged Tinubu to obtain accurate operational briefings directly from the Defence Headquarters instead of depending on foreign claims. “Our attention has been drawn to President Bola Tinubu's confirmation of President Donald Trump's claim that the Abu-Bilal al-Minuki has just been killed,” Falana stated. “As the commander of the armed forces of Nigeria, President Tinubu should contact the Defence Headquarters on the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki and other terrorists instead of relying on President Donald Trump's erroneous claims on the prosecution of the counter insurgency operations in Nigeria,” he added. Falana’s reaction follows widespread confusion surrounding the reported killing of Abu Bilal Minuki, also known as Abubakar Mainok, after Nigerian authorities had publicly announced his death in 2024, only for Trump and Tinubu to announce his killing again in a fresh joint operation in 2026. SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the contradiction raised serious questions over battlefield intelligence, military records and the credibility of official counterterrorism announcements involving one of the most notorious IS-affiliated commanders operating in the Lake Chad Basin. Confusion As Nigerian Military Declared ISWAP Commander Bilal Minuki Dead In 2024 Before Trump, Tinubu Announced Same Killing On Friday In April 2024, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters had listed Abu Bilal Minuki among top terrorist commanders neutralised during military operations conducted between January and March of that year. The announcement was made by the then Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, who identified Minuki as the “Head of IS-Al Furqan Province (ISGS and ISWAP).” According to the military briefing at the time, Minuki was killed on February 21, 2024, during operations targeting terrorist enclaves. The Defence Headquarters had also linked him to insurgent activities around Birnin Gwari forest in Kaduna State and attacks along the Abuja–Kaduna highway. Buba had told journalists that Nigerian troops were aggressively targeting terrorist hideouts through coordinated ground and air offensives. “The armed forces are fighting a vicious enemy in the ongoing operations across the country,” Buba said at the time. “Surely, we have been collecting intelligence, hunting them and striking them where they may be hiding and hibernating,” he added. However, in May 2026, President Tinubu announced that Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki had again been killed during what he described as a successful joint military operation involving Nigerian and United States forces in the Lake Chad Basin. In a personally signed statement, Tinubu described the operation as “a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.” “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,” Tinubu stated. The President also thanked Trump for supporting the operation. “I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort,” Tinubu added. On his part, Trump announced the operation on his Truth Social platform, claiming that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was “the most active terrorist in the world” and also the “second in command of ISIS globally.” “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 wrote. He further claimed that the terrorist leader had been under US sanctions since 2023 and had attempted to evade capture by hiding in Africa. “With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump said. The conflicting claims over the death of Minuki have since generated widespread debate over whether the terrorist commander was mistakenly declared dead in 2024, later resurfaced under another identity, or whether intelligence failures affected earlier military assessments. Falana’s intervention now adds to mounting public scrutiny over the handling of information relating to Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations and the government’s reliance on foreign narratives in matters concerning national security.