Joint security operation kills ISWAP commander ‘Anwar’ in Ondo forest
By Boye Oyeyemi
A suspected senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, Abdussamad Ohida, has been killed during a joint security operation in Owo, Ondo State.
Ohida, popularly known as Anwar, was reportedly neutralised alongside other members of the terrorist group when troops of the Nigerian Army, operatives of the Department of State Services and Amotekun officers stormed their hideout in the forest.
According to security sources, the operation followed intelligence that Ohida was allegedly preparing attacks on civilians in some parts of southern Nigeria, with the planned assaults expected to take place during the Yuletide period.
According to reports, Ohida rose to prominence within the group after the arrest of Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, who was described as the former ISWAP Central Nigeria leader and Ohida’s superior. Ikrimah was arrested by the DSS in 2023.
After the arrest, Ohida reportedly assumed responsibility for the group’s activities in parts of the North-Central and southern regions, where he was accused of coordinating attacks and seeking to extend ISWAP’s presence.
A security source said information about the alleged plot was strengthened by intelligence shared by United Kingdom security partners, leading to the coordinated operation against the terrorist camp in Owo.
Ohida was also linked to a series of attacks, including the December 2025 assault on the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, during which eight AK-47 rifles were reportedly taken before the station was destroyed with explosives. Similarly, he was accused of involvement in attacks on security formations in Niger and Kogi states, including the Suleja-Zuba military checkpoint, Kuje Correctional Centre, Ogaminana Police Station and Okene Area Command.
The army described Ohida’s death as a major blow to ISWAP’s leadership and expansion plans in central and southern Nigeria, coming months after the reported killing of another senior Islamic State commander, Abu Bilal al-Minuki.
