Nigeria, May 17 -- The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has provided a different explanation from the Presidency on the controversy surrounding the killing of Abubakar Mainok.

Nigeria and the US government, in separate statements on Saturday, announced the killing of Mr Mainok, also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki.

However, since Mr Mainok was announced killed on Saturday in a joint operation by Nigerian and US forces, many Nigerians have raised concerns that the Nigerian military had claimed it had killed the same man in 2024.

But the military has now said that the terrorist killed in 2024 is not Mr Mainok, explaining that similarities in names and aliases are common within insurgent networks operating across the Lake Chad region.

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