A senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abdussamad Ohida, has been killed alongside several members of the group during a security operation in Ondo State.
Ohida, also known as Anwar, was reportedly killed at the weekend after troops of the Nigerian Army, personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) and operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network, known as Amotekun, launched an intelligence-led assault on the group’s hideout in Owo forest.
Security sources said Ohida had been preparing major attacks in parts of southern Nigeria, including plans to target civilians during the festive period and disrupt the 2027 general elections. Intelligence gathered by the DSS was reportedly corroborated by UK intelligence partners, who supported the operation.
Ohida reportedly assumed leadership of ISWAP activities across parts of the North-Central and southern regions after his former superior, Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, was arrested by the DSS in 2023.
Security sources also linked Ohida to several attacks, including the December 2025 invasion of the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, during which weapons were reportedly stolen before the facility was destroyed with explosives. He was further accused of involvement in attacks on security facilities in Niger, Kogi and Abuja.
The operation, according to the sources, represents a major setback to ISWAP’s attempts to establish and expand its operational network in central and southern Nigeria.
The Nigerian security agencies have not, in the reports reviewed, publicly released a detailed official statement confirming the operation.
