A senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abdussamad Ohida, also known as Anwar, has been killed in a joint security operation in Ondo State.
Ohida was reportedly eliminated alongside several other members of the terrorist group when operatives of the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, raided their hideout in the Owo forest at the weekend.
Security sources said the operation was intelligence-driven and carried out as part of efforts to foil planned terrorist attacks in parts of southern Nigeria.
According to the sources, Ohida was allegedly preparing to launch major attacks on civilians during the forthcoming Yuletide period, with the broader objective of disrupting the 2027 general elections.
The sources said intelligence obtained during the interrogation of former ISWAP Central Nigeria leader, Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, helped security agencies identify Ohida and uncover his alleged plans.
Abu Uwais was arrested by the DSS in 2023, after which Ohida reportedly assumed leadership of ISWAP operations across parts of the North-Central and southern regions.
A security source said intelligence on the planned attacks was further corroborated by international partners, including counterparts in the United Kingdom, before the operation was launched.
Ohida was also linked to several attacks on security formations in Kogi, Niger, Ondo and the Federal Capital Territory.
The attacks allegedly attributed to him include the December 31, 2025 invasion of Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, Ondo State, during which eight AK-47 rifles were reportedly stolen before the station was destroyed with explosives.
He was also accused of involvement in the July 28, 2022 attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja–Zuba Road in Niger State, which reportedly claimed the lives of soldiers, officers and civilians.
Other attacks linked to the late ISWAP commander include the July 11, 2022 assault on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja; the April 23, 2022 attack on Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, where five police officers were killed; and the February 7, 2022 attack on the Okene Area Command police station.
The sources further alleged that Ohida 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.
A security source described Ohida’s death as a major setback to ISWAP’s efforts to establish and expand its operational network in central and southern Nigeria.
The source said the development, coming months after the reported killing of ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Minuki, demonstrated the increasing effectiveness of Nigerian security agencies in dismantling terrorist networks.
