By Ayo Kehinde
Security forces have foiled an alleged plan by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to unleash attacks in southern Nigeria during the Yuletide and create instability ahead of the 2027 general elections with the elimination of a senior commander of the terrorist group in Ondo State, Abdussamad Ohida, also known as Anwar.
He was killed alongside other ISWAP members during an intelligence-led operation by troops of the Nigerian Army, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and personnel of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, at a forest hideout in Owo at the weekend.
Security sources said Ohida had emerged as a key ISWAP commander in parts of the North-Central and southern regions after the arrest of his superior, Abu Ikrimah, also known as Abu Uwais, by the DSS in 2023.
The sources said intelligence obtained during Ikrimah’s interrogation subsequently helped security agencies track Ohida and uncover his alleged plans to expand terrorist operations into southern Nigeria.
According to one of the sources, the intelligence indicated that Ohida was preparing to attack civilians during the forthcoming festive period.
“The plan was to attack civilians during the festive period and ultimately disrupt the 2027 general elections”, the source said.
The intelligence, the source added, was corroborated by intelligence partners in the United Kingdom before the security agencies moved against the terrorist cell.
Security sources described Ohida as a major figure in the planning, coordination and execution of terrorist attacks after the arrest of Abu Uwais.
He was allegedly responsible for several attacks on security formations, including the December 31, 2025 attack on the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo.
According to the security source, Ohida and his group invaded the station, seized eight AK-47 rifles, and subsequently used explosives to destroy the facility.
He was also linked by the source to the July 28, 2022 attack on a military checkpoint along the Suleja-Zuba Road in Niger State, where several soldiers, security personnel, and civilians were killed.
The source further accused him of involvement in the July 11, 2022 attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, which led to the escape of hundreds of inmates.
Other attacks allegedly linked to him include the April 23, 2022 assault on the Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, where five police officers were reportedly killed, and the February 7, 2022 attack on the Okene Area Command police station.
The source also attributed the December 24, 2020 attack on a naval checkpoint in Okene, Kogi State, which killed two naval officers, to the slain commander.
The operation in Owo followed what the sources described as sustained intelligence gathering on Ohida’s activities and his alleged efforts to establish an operational foothold in the southern part of the country.
Rather than waiting for the planned attacks to occur, the security agencies reportedly moved against the cell after intelligence indicated that the commander was preparing for fresh operations.
The sources said the operation was planned around intelligence obtained by the DSS and subsequently strengthened by information from foreign intelligence partners.
The involvement of Amotekun was also significant given its knowledge of local terrain and its operational presence across the South-West.
The coordinated operation resulted in the elimination of Ohida and several other members of the terrorist group, according to the sources.
The killing of Ohida is expected to disrupt ISWAP’s command structure and its alleged efforts to extend terrorist operations from the North-East and North-Central into southern Nigeria.
“We may not immediately realise 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”, a security source said.
The source described the development as a major setback for the group’s expansion strategy, particularly coming months after the reported killing of ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Minuki.
ISWAP, one of the major terrorist organisations operating in the Lake Chad Basin, has traditionally maintained its strongest presence in north-eastern Nigeria and neighbouring areas.
However, the group and other extremist networks have repeatedly sought to exploit security gaps outside their traditional areas of operation through attacks, recruitment, logistics and sleeper cells.
The alleged activities of Ohida point to a potentially more dangerous dimension of that threat: the establishment of terrorist networks capable of operating in the North-Central and southern regions and targeting civilians and security installations.
The alleged plan to exploit the Yuletide period is particularly significant because of the large movement of people across the country during the festive season.
Its reported connection with the 2027 elections further raises the stakes, as attacks during the electoral cycle could be used to create fear, disrupt political activities and undermine public confidence in the security of the electoral process.
The elimination of Ohida may therefore have prevented an immediate threat, but security agencies will still have to contend with the wider networks, financiers, collaborators and logistics channels that could enable ISWAP or other terrorist groups to establish new footholds in southern Nigeria.
