A joint intelligence-led operation involving the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, has killed a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, Abdussamad Ohida, in Owo, Ondo State.
Ohida, also known as Anwar, was reportedly neutralised alongside several other fighters during a surprise raid on a terrorist hideout in the forests of Owo over the weekend.
Security sources said the operation disrupted plans for what intelligence agencies described as an imminent wave of large-scale terrorist attacks targeting parts of Southern Nigeria ahead of the festive period and the 2027 general elections.
According to intelligence briefings, Ohida previously served as second-in-command to Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, who was identified as the former leader of ISWAP’s Central Nigeria network before his arrest by the DSS in 2023.
Following Ikrimah’s arrest, Ohida reportedly assumed leadership of the network, coordinating operational planning, logistics and other activities across parts of the North-Central and Southern regions.
Investigators reportedly linked Ohida to several major attacks based on information obtained from detained operatives and intelligence gathered with the support of United Kingdom-based intelligence partners involved in tracking the terrorist commander.
Among the incidents allegedly linked to him was the December 31, 2025 attack on the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, where terrorists reportedly carted away eight AK-47 rifles before destroying the facility with explosives.
He was also allegedly involved in the July 2022 attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja and an assault on a military checkpoint along the Suleja–Zuba Road in Niger State, also in July 2022.
Security agencies described the operation as a major intelligence breakthrough, particularly given the reported plans to expand terrorist activities into Southern Nigeria.
The successful raid is expected to further disrupt the operational network of ISWAP elements operating across the North-Central and Southern parts of the country as security agencies intensify efforts to prevent terrorist attacks ahead of the festive season and the 2027 elections.
