The Defence Headquarters says no Nigerian soldier died during the operation that killed Abu Bilal Al-Minuki, a senior ISIS commander who had eluded security forces across multiple countries for years.
Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja, the military's spokesman, described the mission as a precision strike executed with surgical accuracy. He said months of intelligence work pinpointed Al-Minuki's exact location in the Lake Chad Basin before commanders gave the final go-ahead.
The operation unfolded on two small islands in Lake Chad, where Al-Minuki was sheltering with about three dozen fighters. A combined force of roughly two dozen Nigerian and American special operations troops, including members of the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team 6, launched a coordinated air-and-ground assault that lasted more than three hours. American forces provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, Onoja said. No foreign soldiers conducted combat operations on the ground.
However, unnamed officials told the New York Times that the American military initially intended to capture Al-Minuki alive. When he refused to surrender, the U.S. launched an airstrike on his compound. Nigerian special forces units blocked escape routes, secured the perimeter and supported the extraction of personnel and equipment.
Onoja attributed the zero casualties on the Nigerian side to the professionalism and tactical readiness of the troops involved. The operation reflected months of careful planning and close coordination between Nigerian and American commanders, he said.
Al-Minuki had used multiple aliases to evade detection, a tactic that kept him off security radars despite his presence on international watchlists maintained by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Nigeria. Earlier reports of his death in 2024 were based on mistaken identity, Onoja clarified. The man killed in this operation was the original Abu Bilal Al-Minuki.
Analysts are currently examining equipment and devices recovered from the raid. Military officials say the haul will provide intelligence on ISIS operations and networks across West Africa.
Onoja used the operation's success to press home a broader security message. He said other notorious terrorist leaders remained under surveillance, naming Bello Turji, a wanted bandit leader operating in the northwest. Turji cannot hide forever, Onoja said, but he urged civilians to support military operations by providing timely information. He also warned that ransom payments to criminal groups only strengthen their networks and prolong insecurity.
The military will continue strengthening its strategic security partnerships against terrorism, Onoja said, and remains committed to restoring peace across communities affected by insurgency and banditry.
