A joint operation by the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, has reportedly killed a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abdussamad Ohida, alias Anwar, in Owo, Ondo State.
Ohida was said to have been neutralised alongside several other suspected terrorists during a coordinated raid on a hideout in the Owo forest over the weekend.
According to security sources, the operation followed intelligence indicating that the terrorist group was planning a series of attacks in parts of southern Nigeria ahead of the festive season and the 2027 general elections.
Ohida reportedly rose to the leadership of ISWAP’s Central Nigeria network following the arrest of Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, by the DSS in 2023.
Before taking over the network, Ohida was allegedly Ikrimah’s second-in-command and was involved in coordinating logistics, recruitment and operational activities across parts of the North-Central and southern regions.
Sources said intelligence obtained from arrested members of the group, as well as assistance from United Kingdom intelligence partners, helped security agencies track Ohida to his hideout.
He was allegedly linked to several major attacks, including the December 31, 2025 assault on the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, where eight AK-47 rifles were reportedly stolen before the station was destroyed with explosives.
Security agencies also reportedly attributed the July 2022 attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja and an attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja–Zuba Road in Niger State to the network allegedly coordinated by Ohida.
The latest operation is expected to further weaken the terrorist group’s operations in the region, as security agencies intensify efforts to locate and apprehend other members of the network.
