Army, DSS, Amotekun Kill Senior ISWAP Leader in Ondo Forest

A combined team of Nigerian Army troops, Department of State Services (DSS) operatives and personnel of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, has reportedly killed a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, Abdussamad Ohida, in Ondo State.

Ohida, also known as Anwar, was eliminated during an intelligence-led operation in Owo forest at the weekend, according to security sources.

The sources alleged that the ISWAP commander was planning attacks on civilians in parts of southern Nigeria, including during the forthcoming Yuletide period.

They said several other members of the terrorist group were also killed during the operation after security forces raided their forest hideout.

Ohida was reportedly a former deputy to Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, who was identified as the ISWAP Central Nigeria leader before his arrest by the DSS in 2023.

Following Ikrimah’s arrest, security sources said Ohida assumed a leadership role in ISWAP operations across parts of the North-Central and southern regions of the country.

He was subsequently accused of playing a major role in the planning and coordination of terrorist attacks in the affected areas.

According to the sources, intelligence obtained during the interrogation of Abu Uwais helped security agencies uncover Ohida’s alleged plans to attack civilians during the festive period.

One of the sources said intelligence shared by United Kingdom security partners also contributed to the operation that led to Ohida’s elimination.

The source alleged that Ohida was linked to several attacks, including the December 31, 2025 invasion of the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, where eight AK-47 rifles were reportedly taken before the station was destroyed with explosives.

He was also alleged to have been involved in the July 28, 2022 attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja-Zuba Road in Niger State, in which soldiers, security personnel and civilians were reportedly killed.

The security source further linked Ohida to the July 11, 2022 attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja and attacks on police formations in Kogi State.

These included the April 23, 2022 attack on Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area, which reportedly killed five police officers, as well as the February 7, 2022 attack on the Okene Area Command.

The source also alleged that Ohida planned and executed the December 24, 2020 attack on a naval checkpoint in Okene, Kogi State, where two naval officers were reportedly killed.

Security sources described Ohida’s death as a major setback for ISWAP’s efforts to expand its activities into central and southern Nigeria.

They said his elimination could disrupt the group’s leadership structure and operational network in the region.

The operation comes months after the reported killing of another senior ISIS figure, Abu Bilal al-Minuki, which security sources said further weakened the terrorist group’s expansion efforts in Nigeria.

Authorities have not publicly released a comprehensive account of the operation or independently detailed all the attacks attributed to Ohida.