NIGERIA’S security agencies last week arrested seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) who were returning from this year’s Hajj pilgrimage through the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina State.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, over the weekend at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the suspects were intercepted at the airport on Thursday last week and subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS).
He stated: “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.”
The minister did not disclose the identities of the suspects or if they had been on the security watch list before travelling to Saudi Arabia, how they obtained travel clearance or whether they have been formally charged, nor did he indicate whether the suspects had travelled on Nigerian passports or had previously been on any domestic or international watch lists.
Tunji-Ojo attributed the arrests to improvements in Nigeria’s integrated digital identity and border management system, saying the country’s biometric identity database now communicates with immigration records and international security platforms.
He added: “This is only possible because NIMC’s ID is already connected with the immigration database, and it’s already speaking to even the Interpol 24/7, and we have been able to automate this.”
He said the Tinubu administration inherited fragmented identity management systems that limited information sharing across government agencies, noting: “At that time, getting a passport and getting a driving permit were completely disconnected from our identity database.
“But today, you can’t get a Nigerian passport without pulling data from NIMC.”
The minister said the integration has strengthened coordination among government databases and improved the country’s ability to identify persons of security interest attempting to cross Nigeria’s borders.
According to NIMC, the new law designates the commission as Nigeria’s Root Certification Authority for the National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), providing the legal framework for secure electronic authentication and trusted data exchange across government institutions and authorised private-sector platforms.
Officials said the reforms are intended to improve identity verification, reduce identity fraud, strengthen border management and enhance coordination among security agencies.
A statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, quoted the President as saying the new law marks a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to modernise identity management, strengthen national security, improve public service delivery and deepen the country’s digital economy.
The revelation came a few days after allegations that the Katsina State Government sponsored some bandit commanders on Hajj pilgrimages, which the government denied, describing them as false, baseless and politically motivated.
The Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, in a statement, insisted there was no evidence that the government sponsored any individual involved in banditry or other criminal activities for the pilgrimage.
