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Security agencies have eliminated a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abdussamad Ohida, also known as Anwar, in an intelligence-led operation in Owo forest, Ondo State.
Ohida was killed at the weekend alongside several other ISWAP members when a combined team of Nigerian Army troops, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and personnel of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, raided the terror group’s forest hideout.
Security sources said the operation foiled plans by Ohida to launch coordinated terror attacks in parts of southern Nigeria, particularly during the forthcoming Yuletide celebrations.
According to the sources, Ohida was a former deputy to the ISWAP Central Nigeria commander, Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, who was arrested by the DSS in 2023.
Following Ikrimah’s arrest, Ohida allegedly assumed command of ISWAP operations across parts of the North-Central and southern regions, where he became involved in the planning, coordination and execution of terrorist attacks.
The sources said intelligence obtained during the interrogation of Abu Uwais provided the DSS with vital information about Ohida’s activities and alleged plans to attack civilians during the festive season.
“The plan was to attack civilians during the festive period and ultimately disrupt the 2027 general election. This intelligence was corroborated by intelligence partners from the United Kingdom, who supported the elimination operation,” one of the sources said.
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The source also linked Ohida to several attacks on security formations and personnel across the country.
Ohida was alleged to have planned and executed the December 31, 2025, attack on Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, Ondo State, during which AK-47 rifles were reportedly carted away before the station was brought down with explosives. He was also accused of partaking in the July 28, 2022, attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja-Zuba Road in Niger State, in which soldiers, security personnel and civilians were killed.
The source further attributed to him the July 11, 2022, attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja; the April 23, 2022, attack on Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi LGA, Kogi State, in which five police officers were killed; and the February 7, 2022, attack on the Okene Area Command Police Station.
“The terrorist planned and executed the December 24, 2020, attack on a naval checkpoint in Okene, Kogi State, which resulted in the death of two naval officers, not to mention the several attacks he launched across parts of the country,” the source added.
The source described Ohida’s elimination as a major setback to ISWAP’s leadership structure and its efforts to establish and expand its operational network in central and southern Nigeria.
“We may not immediately realise it, but the elimination of Abdussamad Ohida represents a significant disruption to ISWAP’s leadership structure, operational network and expansion efforts in central and southern Nigeria.
“Ohida’s elimination, coming a few months after the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Minuki, is a very big blow to ISWAP’s efforts to expand its operational presence in Nigeria and underscores the growing efficiency of our security services,” the source said.
