A joint operational force comprising troops of the Nigerian Army, personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS), and officers of the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, has eliminated a senior leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abdussamad Ohida, during a weekend raid in the Owo forest area of Ondo State.
Security sources revealed that Ohida, also known as Anwar, was killed alongside several other members of the terrorist group during a surprise strike on their forest hideout. Prior to his death, Ohida served as deputy to ISWAP’s Central Nigeria leader, Abu Ikrimah (also known as Abu Uwais), until Ikrimah’s arrest by the DSS in 2023. Following that arrest, Ohida assumed control of ISWAP activities across parts of North-Central and Southern Nigeria, coordinating leadership and operational strategy for the group.
Intelligence gathered from the interrogation of Abu Uwais, supported by collaborative intelligence from United Kingdom partners, exposed Ohida’s plan to launch coordinated attacks against civilians during the upcoming festive period and disrupt the 2027 general elections. The high-stakes operation in Owo was initiated to neutralize this impending threat.
Ohida was implicated in multiple high-profile terrorist attacks across the country over recent years. Security reports link him to the December 31, 2025 attack on the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, Ondo State, where assailants stole eight AK-47 rifles before destroying the facility with explosives.
He was also connected to the July 2022 military checkpoint attack along the Suleja–Zuba Road in Niger State, the July 2022 breach of the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, the April 2022 raid on Ogaminana Police Station in Kogi State that left five police officers dead, the February 2022 attack on the Okene Area Command, and a December 2020 ambush on a Naval checkpoint in Okene that claimed the lives of two naval officers.
Security officials highlighted the strategic value of the raid, noting that Ohida’s death follows the earlier elimination of ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Minuki. The dual losses deal a major blow to ISWAP’s command structure, crippling its efforts to expand operational cells into central and southern regions of Nigeria.
