A joint operation involving the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, has killed a senior leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), identified as Abdussamad Ohida, also known as Anwar.
Ohida was reportedly eliminated alongside other members of the terrorist group during an intelligence-led operation at a forest hideout in Owo, Ondo State, at the weekend.
According to security sources on Monday, the operation was launched after intelligence indicated that Ohida was allegedly planning attacks in parts of southern Nigeria.
The sources described Ohida as a former deputy to ISWAP Central Nigeria leader Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, whom the DSS arrested in 2023.
Following Ikrimah’s arrest, Ohida allegedly assumed a leadership role in ISWAP activities across parts of North-Central and southern Nigeria, where he was involved in the planning and coordination of terrorist operations.
According to the sources, intelligence obtained during the interrogation of Abu Uwais provided security agencies with information about alleged plans by Ohida and his associates to attack civilians during the forthcoming Yuletide period.
One of the sources further claimed that the planned attacks were intended to disrupt preparations for the 2027 general elections.
It was gathered that the intelligence was reportedly corroborated by international partners, including counterparts in the United Kingdom, before the operation was launched.
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The sources also linked Ohida to several attacks across the country, including the December 31, 2025, attack on Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, where eight AK-47 rifles were reportedly carted away before the station was damaged with an explosive.
He was also allegedly responsible for the July 28, 2022 attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja–Zuba Road in Niger State, as well as the July 11, 2022 attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
Other attacks attributed to him include the April 23, 2022 assault on Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, which reportedly resulted in the death of five police officers, and the February 7, 2022 attack on the Okene Area Command.
It was further alleged that Ohida planned and executed the December 24, 2020 attack on a naval checkpoint in Okene, Kogi State, in which two naval officers were killed.
The latest operation comes months after the reported killing of ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Minuki, with security sources describing Ohida’s elimination as another setback to efforts by ISWAP to expand its operational presence in central and southern Nigeria.
The security agencies have not, however, publicly released a detailed official statement on the operation or independently confirmed all the attacks attributed to Ohida.