Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has confirmed the killing of a senior Islamic State (IS) leader in a joint-operation with the US.

“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” Tinubu said in a statement.

The operation was first announced by US President Donald Trump, who described Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.

Al‑Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.

The killing marks another significant setback for Islamic State group (IS) following the killing of its leader Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi in 2019.

Tinubu said in a statement that al-Manuki was killed along with “several of his lieutenants” during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.

The basin is a huge region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. It has long been a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).

Abu-Bilal al-Manuki is believed to have been from Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. Analysts say his nickname likely came from Mainok, a town in the state, following a common regional tradition where people are identified by their hometowns or family names.