A joint security operation involving the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, has eliminated a senior leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Ondo State.
The operation was carried out at the weekend in a forest in Owo, where security forces reportedly launched a surprise attack on an ISWAP hideout.
The terrorist leader, identified as Abdussamad Ohida, also known as Anwar, was reportedly killed alongside several other members of the group.
Security sources said Ohida had been planning major terrorist attacks in parts of southern Nigeria, including attacks targeting civilians during the forthcoming festive period.
According to the sources, the planned attacks were also intended to disrupt Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The intelligence that led to the operation was reportedly obtained by the DSS during the interrogation of Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, a former ISWAP Central Nigeria leader who was arrested by the DSS in 2023.
Following Ikrimah’s arrest, Ohida reportedly assumed a leadership role within ISWAP operations across parts of the North-Central and southern regions of Nigeria.
He was subsequently said to have played a major role in planning, coordinating and executing terrorist operations in the affected areas.
Security sources said intelligence about Ohida’s alleged plans was corroborated by intelligence partners in the United Kingdom before the operation was carried out.
One source said the planned operation involved attacks on civilians during the Christmas and New Year period, with the broader objective of creating instability ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ohida was also linked by security sources to several previous attacks across Nigeria.
These reportedly include the December 31, 2025 invasion of the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, Ondo State, where eight AK-47 rifles were allegedly 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, where several soldiers, security personnel and civilians were killed.
Other attacks reportedly attributed to him include the July 11, 2022 assault on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja and the April 23, 2022 attack on Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, which resulted in the deaths of five police officers.
He was further linked to the February 7, 2022 attack on the Okene Area Command police station and the December 24, 2020 attack on a naval checkpoint in Okene, Kogi State, where two naval officers were killed.
Security sources described Ohida’s elimination as a major setback for ISWAP’s efforts to expand its operations into central and southern Nigeria.
The operation is also being viewed as a significant disruption to the group’s leadership structure and operational network.
A security source said the killing of Ohida, coming months after the elimination of ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Minuki, represents another major blow to the terrorist organisation’s efforts to establish and expand its presence in Nigeria.
The source added that the successful operation demonstrated the growing effectiveness of Nigeria’s security agencies and their ability to act on intelligence to prevent planned terrorist attacks.
