Abu-Bilal al-Minuki involved in 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls abduction — DHQ

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters says Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior ISIS commander maintained longstanding operational ties with ISIS-West Africa” and was a key figure in extremist networks across the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.

The military said this following confirmation by United States President Donald Trump and President Bola Tinubu that the terrorist leader was killed in a joint Nigeria–U.S. counterterrorism operation, describing the development as the outcome of strengthened bilateral cooperation.

According to a statement signed by Major General Samaila Uba, Director of Defence Information, DHQ added that al-Minuki was also involved in the 2018 abduction of Dapchi schoolgirls.

The statement described him as “a key ISIS operational and strategic figure” involved in “media operations, economic warfare and the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives and drones.”

It added that his killing “removes a critical node through which ISIS coordinated and directed operations across different regions of the world.”

It further stated that intelligence indicated he “may have been elevated to the position of Head of the General Directorate of States,” placing him among the group’s senior global leadership.

The statement also said he previously served as “the Nigeria-based al-Furqan GDP Office Emir,” overseeing ISIS-linked operations across West Africa and the Sahel.

It added that he “facilitated the movement of fighters to Libya in support of ISIS operations in North Africa” between 2015 and 2016, and had earlier been associated with Boko Haram before pledging allegiance to ISIS in 2015.

The Armed Forces said the operation demonstrates “Nigeria’s unwavering resolve to confront terrorism” and underscores “the importance of Nigeria–United States collaboration, intelligence sharing and coordinated military action.”