United States Congressman Riley Moore has credited President Donald Trump with authorising the joint Nigerian-American operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of ISIS globally.

Moore also warned terrorists targeting Christians in Nigeria that they would face consequences.

The Republican lawmaker, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, made the remarks during an interview on NewsNation with anchor Anna Kooiman on Sunday while discussing the recent military operation and religious persecution in north-eastern Nigeria.

In a post shared on his X account on Monday alongside the interview clip, Moore said Trump remained committed to defending persecuted Christians in Nigeria.

“President Trump is laser focused on defending our Christian brothers and sisters in Nigeria against the slaughter and martyrdom they’ve faced at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists,” Moore wrote.

“The strike on Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS Number 2 globally, sends a clear message: those who target innocent Christians will be hunted down and brought to justice. Do not test President Trump’s resolve,” he added.

Moore disclosed that the administration’s engagement with Nigeria intensified after Trump designated the country as a nation of particular concern on October 31 last year.

According to him, Trump personally directed him to investigate allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria.

“President Trump tasked me personally to go investigate this issue of Christian persecution, Christian genocide in Nigeria, which is what I did,” Moore said.

“I travelled to Nigeria with my colleagues from the Appropriations Committee and put together this report that we presented to the White House with several key recommendations on how we can try to protect those populations that are suffering at the hands of Islamic radical terrorists,” he stated.

The congressman said Trump remained actively interested in developments concerning insecurity and religious violence in Nigeria.

“This is something that the president is acutely focused on as he should be, and so am I,” Moore said.

“And I think many around the country are. I just watched a couple of hours ago on television here with you, and I heard from many people that they thank you for focusing on this issue. So I think it’s something that’s near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts,” he added.

Moore also noted that American involvement in counterterrorism efforts in Nigeria dated back more than a decade, particularly during the rise of Boko Haram.

“We’ve been involved now for close to a year, and this has been on and off, though, since before 2015. As you remember, the emergence of Boko Haram during that time period,” he said.

The Defence Headquarters had earlier confirmed that al-Minuki was killed in a “meticulously planned and highly coordinated” precision strike in the Lake Chad Basin.

Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba described him as one of the world’s most operationally versatile terrorist commanders, overseeing ISIS weapons manufacturing, drone development, and global media operations.

According to the DHQ, intelligence assessments suggested that al-Minuki may have been elevated in February 2026 to Head of the ISIS General Directorate of States, making him the second most senior figure within the terrorist organisation’s global hierarchy.

The military also disclosed that before pledging allegiance to ISIS in 2015, al-Minuki was a prominent Boko Haram leader linked to the 2018 Dapchi kidnapping of more than 100 schoolgirls.