Army, DSS, Amotekun kill ISWAP leader in Ondo

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 when the security forces raided their forest hideout at the weekend.

Security sources said Ohida was allegedly planning attacks in parts of southern Nigeria, including attacks targeting civilians during the forthcoming Yuletide period.

The sources said the operation followed intelligence gathered by the DSS and corroborated by international intelligence partners, including the United Kingdom.

Ohida was said to have 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 allegedly assumed leadership of ISWAP operations across parts of the North-Central and southern regions of the country.

The sources said he subsequently played a key role in the planning, coordination and execution of terrorist operations in the affected areas.

One of the sources said intelligence obtained during the interrogation of Abu Uwais helped security agencies uncover Ohida’s alleged plans to attack civilians during the festive period and disrupt the 2027 general elections.

“The plan was to attack civilians during the festive period and ultimately disrupt the 2027 general elections. This intelligence was corroborated by intelligence partners from the United Kingdom, who supported the elimination operation,” the source said.

The source also attributed several attacks on security formations to Ohida.

They included the December 31, 2025, attack on the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, Ondo State, during which eight AK-47 rifles were reportedly stolen and the station destroyed with an explosive.

The source also linked him to the July 28, 2022, attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja-Zuba Road in Niger State, in which soldiers, officers and civilians were killed.

Other attacks allegedly attributed to Ohida 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, in which five police officers were killed; 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 disruption to ISWAP’s leadership structure and 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,” the source said.

The source added that Ohida’s death, coming months after the reported killing of ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Minuki, represented a setback to ISWAP’s efforts to expand its operational presence in Nigeria.

He said the operation also demonstrated the growing capability of security agencies to disrupt terrorist networks before they could execute planned attacks.