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.
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 – Oba Falae
Despite the recent breakthroughs, insecurity in the state remains a serious challenge as gunmen and
suspected kidnappers have continued to target farm settlements and small communities, such as Imafon, Igushin, Ilado, Ilu-Abo, and Aba Oyinbo in Akure North, Owo and Ose council areas resulting in the abductions and deaths of farmers and residents.
Consequently, youths across communities in the state have staged protests over the incessant abduction for ransom, killings and rape of women on their way to farms by suspected herders. Insecurity across the state has taken a heavy toll on farmers, who can no longer tend their farms freely for fear of attack.
Disturbed by the development, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and now traditional ruler of Ilu-Abo in Akure North, Oba Olu Falae, lamented that kidnappers appear to be deliberately targeting wealthy residents who relocated to the community over the past decade because of its reputation for peace and stable electricity supply.
Falae also lamented the economic impact of the insecurity, noting that many residents are now afraid to visit their farms. Cocoa plantations and poultry operations, which are key sources of livelihood in the area, have been abandoned owing to fear of abduction.
He said: “People are afraid to go to the farm. Our hard-working residents cannot continue to live in fear; otherwise, we risk becoming beggars and food insecure.
“I am certain that the law will not abandon us and security agencies will not fold their arms. With determination, training and strategic action, we will rescue our people and safeguard our heritage,” Falae stated. The development has forced some families, who have been repeatedly targeted by gunmen, to flee their communities and put their homes up for sale.
Aiyedatiwa reveals foiled plot to bomb Govt House
In a related development, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has revealed that security operatives recently foiled an alleged plot to bomb the Ondo State Government House in Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, who disclosed this during an appearance on a television personality programme, described the operation as one of several silent victories recorded in the state’s fight against insecurity.
He explained that the planned attack was uncovered about three to four months ago after intelligence reports alerted security agencies to suspicious activities by a group of youths allegedly plotting to target the seat of government.
According to the governor, the suspects initially lodged in a hotel within the state capital before relocating to a rented apartment, where security operatives later discovered materials and equipment believed to be connected to the planned operation.
“Following intelligence reports, the Police and Amotekun moved in, raided the location, arrested the suspects, and they remain in custody,” the governor said.
Aiyedatiwa noted that investigators are yet to establish the exact motive behind the alleged plot but stressed that the incident underscores the complex security challenges confronting the state and the need for constant vigilance. The governor said many successful security operations often go unnoticed by the public because attacks are prevented before they happen.
“So much work is being done. Security is one responsibility that leaders carry that is not so visible to everybody. It is only when there is a lapse that it will look as if the government has not been doing enough. We have been doing so much,” he said.
South-West governors closing ranks on security
Speaking on security efforts across the South-West, Aiyedatiwa said governors in the region are working together to strengthen safety, intelligence-gathering and joint operations.
“We are talking to ourselves; we are working,” he said, adding that recent meetings among the governors focused on enhancing collaboration through regional security outfits such as Amotekun and improving information sharing across state boundaries.
The governor also welcomed the conviction of four persons linked to the June 5, 2022 Owo church massacre, describing the judgment as a major victory for justice and the rule of law.
“For us in Ondo State, we are happy that this judgment is a victory for the rule of law and for all the victims attacked, not just in Owo, Ondo State, but all who have been attacked at one time or the other by these terrorists,” he said. The attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo had claimed more than 40 lives and left many others injured after gunmen opened fire on worshippers during a Sunday service.
Amotekun commander renews call for state police
Speaking on the security situation, the Commander of Amotekun in Ondo State, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, renewed his call for the establishment of state policing, describing it as the most viable solution to Nigeria’s growing security challenges.
Adeleye, who doubles as Chairman of Amotekun Commanders in the South-West region, said the council had consistently maintained that decentralised policing remains the most effective strategy for tackling insecurity across the country.
According to him, local security structures possess better knowledge of their environments and are better positioned to identify and apprehend criminals operating within their communities.
The position of the Council of Amotekun Commanders has always been that state policing remains the only viable solution to the present insecurity in the country. It is easier to identify criminals when security operations are rooted within the local communities,” he said.
Adeleye described the proposed state police structure as a major step towards decentralising Nigeria’s security architecture and strengthening grassroots intelligence-gathering.
“As far as the South-West is concerned, we are ready to adjust and conform with whatever framework is put in place to ensure the successful take-off of state policing,” he added.
The Ondo Amotekun boss noted that the corps had demonstrated the effectiveness of community-based policing through its operations across the state, disclosing that more than 500 suspected criminals had been arrested and prosecuted this year alone”, he said.
According to him, many of those prosecuted have been convicted and are currently serving various jail terms, a development, he said, validates the effectiveness of the Amotekun model. However, residents remain apprehensive over desperate plans by Islamic groups still hiding in the thick forests to establish a new operational corridor in southern Nigeria, raising fresh concerns about the need for sustained surveillance and forest combing operations.
