A joint operation involving the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and Amotekun has killed Abdussamad Ohida, a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) leader, in a forest around Owo, Ondo State.
Ohida, also known as Anwar, was killed alongside other members of the group during the weekend raid. Major Innocent Olamale, spokesperson for the Army’s 32 Artillery Brigade in Akure, confirmed the operation, according to Premium Times.
Security sources said the raid targeted a hideout from which Ohida allegedly coordinated terrorist activities across parts of North Central and southern Nigeria.
Sources disclose alleged festive-season attack plan
The sources said intelligence gathered before the operation indicated that Ohida was preparing attacks on civilians during the forthcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations, with a broader intention to disrupt the 2027 general elections.
According to the accounts reported by Channels Television, Ohida previously served as deputy to Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, who led ISWAP’s Central Nigeria operations before his arrest by the DSS in 2023.
Following that arrest, Ohida reportedly took over responsibility for coordinating the group’s operations in parts of the region and southern Nigeria.
The sources said information obtained during Ikrimah’s interrogation helped security operatives identify the alleged attack plans. They also said intelligence partners from the United Kingdom corroborated the information and supported the operation.
The development follows an earlier police alert over possible terrorist attacks on schools, places of worship and NYSC camps.
Alleged links to attacks in Kogi and Ondo
Security sources linked Ohida to several previous attacks, including the December 31, 2025 assault on Ipele Divisional Police Station in Ondo State. They alleged that the attackers stole eight AK-47 rifles and destroyed the station with explosives.
They also attributed to him attacks on Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area and the Okene Area Command in Kogi State, as well as a December 2020 assault on a naval checkpoint in Okene.
Other incidents cited by the sources included the July 2022 Kuje prison attack in Abuja and an attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja–Zuba Road in Niger State.
The Bureau Journal previously reported a separate operation in which troops and vigilantes arrested two suspected terrorists in Ajaokuta, Kogi State.
The sources described Ohida’s death as a setback to ISWAP’s leadership and efforts to expand its operations beyond the North-East, where the group has also been involved in reported clashes with Boko Haram in Sambisa.
The accounts did not specify the number of other fighters killed during the Ondo operation.
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