Security sources have revealed that the operation leading to the elimination of Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki was the outcome of months of coordinated intelligence gathering, surveillance, and digital tracking carried out by security agencies.
According to sources familiar with the mission, the operation was built on prolonged Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) activities supported by communications monitoring and phone intercepts that reportedly began in December 2025.
The sources disclosed that intelligence operatives spent months tracing Al-Manuki’s movements across several locations in northern Nigeria through a combination of human intelligence and advanced digital surveillance.
“The intelligence trail did not emerge overnight,” one source said. “It was developed through persistent tracking, communications monitoring, and multiple human intelligence inputs over several months.”
Security officials further revealed that authorities initially hoped to capture the terror suspect alive rather than eliminate him during the operation.
“This explains why he was reportedly under surveillance in different locations, including Abuja and Maiduguri, up until days before the final strike,” the source added.
According to officials, intelligence units maintained sustained pressure on the target while carefully monitoring his movements to avoid compromising the operation prematurely.
The sources also stressed that the latest operation differed significantly from previous counterterrorism missions due to the level of precision and verification involved before the final strike was authorised.
“Unlike previous incidents where battlefield assessments later required clarification, this operation involved multiple layers of target validation and intelligence confirmation before the kinetic action was approved,” another official stated.
Security authorities insisted that the mission was executed with a high degree of accuracy following extensive verification processes.
“In our assessment, this time, there is no ambiguity,” the official said.
