Seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were arrested upon arrival at Katsina airport last Thursday after returning from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo disclosed the arrests on Friday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law. The suspects were intercepted using Nigeria's newly integrated identity management system and handed over to the Department of State Services for investigation.
Tunji-Ojo credited the arrests to recent reforms linking the National Identity Management Commission database with the Nigeria Immigration Service and INTERPOL's global network. He stated that the integration now allows automated, real-time checks at border points, making it possible to flag individuals of security interest. "I'm happy to tell you that even last week, Thursday, seven of the known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP at the point of coming back from Mecca were arrested in Katsina at the airport and were handed over to the DSS," he said.
The minister explained that prior to the current administration, identity systems were fragmented, with passport and driver's licence processes disconnected from the national database. Now, obtaining a Nigerian passport requires data verification through NIMC. The new NIMC Act 2026 aims to deepen inter-agency harmonisation, strengthen identity integrity, and improve intelligence sharing to combat terrorism, identity theft and financial crimes. The signing ceremony was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and other top officials.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo claims a reformed ID system caught seven terror suspects returning from Hajj, yet he previously oversaw the same immigration framework when such lapses were possible. The same system now hailed as a security breakthrough operated under his ministry's watch when terrorists allegedly moved freely. If integration only worked in 2026, it raises questions about why it wasn't prioritised earlier despite known threats. Nigerians named in the report—like the suspects and officials present—now face a system that claims to be more vigilant, though its timing invites scrutiny.
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