How ISWAP’s southern expansion plot was foiled, commander killed in Ondo forest

By Dayo Johnson, Akure The elimination of Abdussamad Ohida, also known as Anwar, a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), alongside several of his fighters has brought major relief not only to the people of Ondo State but to the entire southern Nigeria. Ohida, who took over the coordination of ISWAP’s central and southern regional activities following the 2023 arrest of his superior, Abu Ikrimah (Abu Uwais) inside an Ondo forest, was killed during an intelligence-led operation deep inside the Owo Forest, Ondo State, early this month.

Despite this breakthrough however, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and now traditional ruler of Ilu-Abo in Akure North, Oba Olu Falae, has lamented that kidnapping and banditry still hold sway in rural communities The operation was executed by a combined team of Nigerian Army troops, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), and officers of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, with strategic intelligence backing from the United Kingdom.

A major blow against southern expansion, security analysts have described the operation as another major counter-terrorism breakthrough by Nigerian security agencies, at a time authorities are intensifying efforts to prevent terrorist groups from extending their operational footprint from the North-East into the South. According to security sources, the forces carried out a thorough clearance operation in the forest, aimed at dislodging entrenched terrorist cells and preventing planned attacks on communities in southern Nigeria.

Before the breakthrough, credible intelligence had indicated that Ohida was plotting to launch coordinated attacks on civilians during the festive period. The plot was designed to create a widespread atmosphere of insecurity that could undermine public confidence and disrupt preparations for the 2027 general elections. His elimination has therefore foiled the group’s plans to launch major terrorist attacks in parts of southern Nigeria during the coming festivities.

The killing of Ohida came barely months after Nigerian and United States forces, in a joint counter-terrorism operation, killed another senior Islamic State commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, in Borno State. For years, Ohida’s group had carried out several coordinated attacks against military formations, security installations and other soft targets as part of a deliberate strategy to establish or expand operational networks outside its traditional strongholds in northeastern Nigeria.

The latest operation is being viewed by security authorities as a decisive attempt to disrupt ISWAP’s desperate push to establish a new operational corridor in the South. Trail of deadly attacks linked to Ohida Ohida was accused of involvement in several high-profile attacks on security formations across the country. One of the alleged attacks was the December 31, 2025 attack on the Ipele Divisional Police Station in Owo, Ondo State, during which eight AK-47 rifles were reportedly carted away before the Police facility was bombed.

The killed terrorist was also linked to the April 23, 2022 attack on the Ogaminana Police Station in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, where five policemen were killed in cold blood. Other attacks attributed to him included the February 7, 2022 assault on the Okene Area Command and the December 24, 2020 attack on a naval checkpoint in Okene, where two naval officers were reportedly killed.

Security sources said Ohida had been on the wanted list for years and had perfected the use of Ondo’s thick forest reserves as a safe haven and launching pad for operations into Kogi, Edo and other parts of the South-West. Aiyedatiwa’s 14-Day ultimatum Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had issued a 14-day ultimatum for bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements to vacate the state’s forest reserves.

The governor warned that failure to comply would trigger a coordinated security operation involving state security agencies, tactical teams and local hunters. The raid carried out at the ISWAP camp that resulted in the killing of its leader, Abdussamad Ohida and his fighters came 19 days after the governor’s ultimatum elapsed. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Forestry, Bidemi Joshua Obayangban, Governor Aiyedatiwa commended the security agencies involved in the operation.

He said the operation demonstrated his administration’s determination to reclaim the state’s forests from terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements. “The successful operation demonstrates that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s 14-day ultimatum is yielding results. We commend the joint security forces for their courage and commitment in eliminating the ISWAP commander and members of his group.

The government will continue to support security agencies until criminal elements are completely flushed out of Ondo State’s forests”, he said. Kidnapping, banditry still hold sway in rural communities – O