An intelligence-led operation by a combined team of the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, has killed a senior leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abdussamad Ohida, in Owo Forest, Ondo State.
Ohida, also known as Anwar, was reportedly killed alongside several other members of the terrorist group during a surprise operation on their hideout at the weekend.
Security sources said Ohida was planning attacks in some southern states ahead of the Yuletide season.
The sources said Ohida previously served as deputy to the ISWAP Central Nigeria leader, Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, who was arrested by the DSS in 2023.
Following Ikrimah’s arrest, Ohida reportedly assumed leadership of ISWAP activities across parts of the North-Central and southern regions, where he was involved in the planning and coordination of terrorist operations.
The sources said intelligence obtained from the interrogation of Abu Uwais helped the DSS uncover plans by Ohida to attack civilians during the forthcoming festive period and disrupt the 2027 general elections.
One of the sources said the intelligence was also corroborated by intelligence partners in the United Kingdom, who supported the operation that led to Ohida’s elimination.
The source attributed several attacks to Ohida, including the December 31, 2025, invasion of Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, Ondo State, where eight AK-47 rifles were reportedly carted away before the station was destroyed with explosives.
He also linked Ohida to the July 28, 2022, attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja-Zuba Road in Niger State, which reportedly killed several soldiers, security personnel and civilians.
Other attacks attributed to him include the July 11, 2022, attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja; the April 23, 2022, attack on Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, which killed five police officers; and the February 7, 2022, attack on the Okene Area Command police station.
The source further alleged that Ohida planned and executed the December 24, 2020, attack on a naval checkpoint in Okene, Kogi State, which resulted in the deaths of two naval officers.
The source described Ohida’s elimination as a major setback for ISWAP’s operations in central and southern Nigeria.
He said, “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.”
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