The Federal Government has disclosed that seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province were arrested at the Katsina Airport while returning from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the suspects were apprehended through Nigeria’s integrated identity management system before being handed over to the Department of State Services for further investigation.
Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure on Saturday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the 2026 National Identity Management Commission Act into law.
According to the minister, the arrests demonstrate the gains of the Federal Government’s reforms in identity management, border security and inter-agency data sharing.
He said the Tinubu administration inherited a fragmented identity database in which agencies operated independently, making it difficult to effectively monitor individuals crossing the country’s borders.
Tunji-Ojo explained that the integration of the National Identity Management Commission database with that of the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security platforms has significantly strengthened the country’s security architecture.
He said, “When Mr. President came on board, we had a disconnected system within our identity data management system. At that time, getting a passport and getting a driving permit were completely disconnected from our identity database.
“Today, you cannot obtain a Nigerian passport without data being verified through the NIMC database. What you have in immigration is what you have in the NIMC database.
“Last week Thursday, seven known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP were arrested at the Katsina Airport while returning from Mecca and were immediately handed over to the DSS.”
The minister added that the successful operation was possible because the country’s identity management system is now linked with the immigration database and connected to Interpol’s global security platform, enabling security agencies to identify persons of interest in real time.
He described the newly signed NIMC Act as a landmark legislation that would further improve national security, strengthen border control and enhance access to government services for Nigerians.
The minister’s disclosure comes amid recent controversy over allegations that the Katsina State Government sponsored suspected terrorists for the 2026 Hajj exercise.
The claim, made by security analyst Dr. Bashir Kurfi during a television programme, alleged that some non-state actors benefitted from the state’s Hajj sponsorship.
However, the Katsina State Government dismissed the allegation as false and politically motivated.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Mu’azu, the government described the allegation as baseless and lacking any factual foundation.
The commissioner maintained that the state had continued to support security agencies in combating banditry and other violent crimes, stressing that attempts to politicise security issues were aimed at undermining ongoing efforts to restore peace across the state.
He also accused unnamed individuals of seeking to distract public attention from the successes recorded in recent security operations across Katsina State.
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