Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has faulted President Bola Tinubu for relying on U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that ISWAP commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was killed in May 2026, saying the Nigerian military had already declared the same terrorist dead in 2024.
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”_, Falana said the president should seek direct briefings from the Defence Headquarters instead of repeating foreign claims that contradict Nigeria’s records.
“Our attention has been drawn to President Bola Tinubu’s confirmation of President Donald Trump’s claim that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki has just been killed,” Falana said. “As commander of the armed forces, 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.”
The controversy stems from the reported killing of Minuki, also known as Abubakar Mainok. In April 2024, the Defence Headquarters listed him among top terrorist commanders neutralised in operations between January and March 2024. Then Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, said Minuki, identified as “Head of IS-Al Furqan Province,” was killed on Feb. 21, 2024, during strikes on terrorist enclaves in Birnin Gwari forest and along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Two years later, in May 2026, Tinubu announced that Minuki had again been killed in a joint Nigerian-U.S. operation in the Lake Chad Basin. In a personally signed statement, the president called it “a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism” and thanked Trump for U.S. support.
Trump announced the same operation on Truth Social, describing Minuki as “the most active terrorist in the world” and “second in command of ISIS globally.” He said U.S. and Nigerian forces “flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission” and claimed the killing had “greatly diminished” ISIS’s global operations.
The conflicting reports have sparked debate over whether Minuki was misidentified in 2024, resurfaced under another identity, or if intelligence failures led to inaccurate military assessments. SaharaReporters noted that the contradiction raises questions about battlefield intelligence and the credibility of official counterterrorism announcements.
Falana’s statement adds to growing public scrutiny over how Nigeria handles information on counter-insurgency operations and its reliance on foreign narratives in matters of national security.