Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has disputed the recent claim by U.S. President Donald Trump and President Bola Tinubu that ISIS commander Abu-Bilal al-Mainuki was killed in a joint U.S.-Nigerian operation.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Falana said the assertion is inaccurate, noting that the Defence Headquarters had announced al-Mainuki’s death in February 2024.
According to the former Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, al-Mainuki, also known as Abubakar Mainok and head of the IS-Al Furqan Province, was killed on Feb. 21, 2024, during operations in Birnin Gwari Forest, Kaduna State, and along the Abuja-Kaduna highway. More than 50 other fighters were neutralised in the same period, Buba said at the time.
Falana urged Tinubu, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, to seek confirmation from the Defence Headquarters rather than rely on foreign accounts of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations.
“Contrary to Mr. Trump’s misleading claim, the dangerous terrorist, Abu-Bilal al-Mainuki, was killed in 2024 by the patriotic armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Falana said.
He added that the federal government should prioritise equipping and maintaining the armed forces in line with Section 217(2) of the Constitution, rather than depend on external partners for validation of operational outcomes.