The Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, have killed a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Ondo State.
The terrorist commander, identified as Abdussamad Ohida, also known as Anwar, was eliminated during an intelligence-led operation in a forest in Owo, Ondo State, at the weekend.
Several other members of the terrorist group were also killed during the operation.
Security sources said the operation was carried out after intelligence indicated that Ohida was preparing attacks in parts of southern Nigeria during the Christmas and New Year period.
The intelligence reportedly came from investigations conducted by the DSS and was later supported by information from foreign intelligence partners, including the United Kingdom.
According to the security sources, the planned attacks were aimed at civilians during the festive period.
The plot was also allegedly connected to a wider attempt to create instability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The plan was to attack civilians during the festive period and ultimately disrupt the 2027 general elections. This Intelligence was corroborated by intelligence partners from the United Kingdom, who supported the elimination operation,” one of the sources said.
Ohida was reportedly a former deputy to Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, who was identified as the leader of ISWAP’s Central Nigeria operations before his arrest by the DSS in 2023.
Following Ikrimah’s arrest, Ohida allegedly took over the coordination of ISWAP activities across parts of the North Central and southern regions.
Investigators believe he subsequently became one of the key figures responsible for coordinating terrorist operations outside the group’s traditional strongholds in the North-East.
The latest operation in Owo is therefore being viewed as an attempt to prevent ISWAP from further establishing a foothold in southern Nigeria.
Ohida had previously attracted the attention of Nigerian authorities.
In March 2024, the Nigeria Sanctions Committee designated Abdulsamat AbdulKareem Ohida as a terrorist financier and identified him as a senior ISWAP commander operating around Okene.
The designation also linked him to major terrorist attacks, including the 2022 attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo and the attack on Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
The Owo church attack, which occurred on June 5, 2022, left more than 40 worshippers dead and many others injured. The incident became one of the deadliest terrorist attacks recorded in southern Nigeria.
Ohida has also been linked by security sources to several other attacks carried out across Kogi, Niger and the Federal Capital Territory.
One of the incidents attributed to him was the attack on the Suleja-Zuba Road in Niger State on July 28, 2022.
Security sources also accused him of involvement in the attack on Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja in July 2022, which allowed a large number of inmates to escape.
Other attacks mentioned in connection with the commander include the assault on Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State on April 23, 2022, and the attack on the Okene Area Command police station on February 7, 2022.
The sources further alleged that Ohida was behind the December 24, 2020 attack on a naval checkpoint in Okene, Kogi State.
“The terrorist planned and executed the 24th December, 2020 attack on a Naval checkpoint in Okene, Kogi State, which resulted in the death of two naval officers, not to mention the several attacks he launched across parts of the country,” the source said.
The security operation in Owo also comes at a time when authorities have continued to raise concern over the spread and changing tactics of terrorist groups beyond Nigeria’s North-East.
In September, the Nigerian Army dismissed a circulating document which claimed that terrorists were planning attacks on schools, churches, mosques, NYSC orientation camps and other public facilities across the country.
Although the Army described the document as fake, it said security formations had been directed to remain vigilant and prevent attacks on vulnerable locations.
The development also followed increased security concerns in parts of the South-West.
In September, five suspected terrorists were arrested after an attack on a security base along the Igbeti-Igboho Road in Oyo State. The suspects were reportedly arrested in military uniforms after the attackers allegedly raided the facility and escaped with equipment.
For the security agencies, the elimination of Ohida could therefore have implications beyond the immediate operation in Ondo.
A source familiar with the operation described his death as a major setback for the terrorist organisation’s efforts to strengthen its presence in Central and Southern Nigeria.
“We may not immediately realize it, but the elimination of Abdussamad Ohida represents a significant disruption to ISWAP’s leadership structure, operational network and expansion efforts in central and southern Nigeria.
“Ohida’s elimination, coming a few months after after the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Minuki, is a very big blow to ISWAP’s efforts to expand its operational presence in Nigeria, and underscores the growing efficiency of our security services,” he declared.
The operation was carried out through cooperation between the military, intelligence service and a regional security outfit.
Amotekun operates across the South-West and has increasingly worked alongside conventional security agencies on intelligence gathering, crime prevention and operations against criminal groups.
However, the authorities have not disclosed the full number of terrorists killed in the operation or the weapons recovered from the forest.