Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for relying on claims by United States President Donald Trump regarding the reported killing of senior Islamic State West Africa Province commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as Abu Mainok, despite the Nigerian military having earlier announced his death in 2024.
Falana made the criticism in a statement on Saturday titled, “President Tinubu Should Stop Relying On President Trump’s False Claims On The Prosecution Of The Counter Insurgency Operations In Nigeria.”
According to him, President Tinubu, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, should obtain accurate information on counter-insurgency operations directly from the Defence Headquarters rather than relying on foreign claims.
“Our attention has been drawn to President Bola Tinubu’s confirmation of President Donald Trump’s claim that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki has just been killed,” Falana stated.
“As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Tinubu should contact the Defence Headquarters on the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki and other terrorists instead of relying on President Donald Trump’s erroneous claims on the prosecution of the counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria,” he added.
Falana’s reaction followed confusion over the reported killing of Minuki, after the Defence Headquarters had, in April 2024, listed him among top terrorist commanders neutralised during military operations conducted between...
Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for relying on claims by United States President Donald Trump regarding the reported killing of senior Islamic ...