Seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders who were returning from Saudi Arabia pilgrimage were recently arrested at the Katsina airport, according to Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Tunji-Ojo said Nigeria’s integrated identity management system aided the arrest of the suspects, who were handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS).
He described the operation which led to their arrest as evidence of the effectiveness of the government’s ongoing reforms in identity management and border security.
The Minister spoke at the State House, Abuja, after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the 2026 National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act into law.
Tunji-Ojo described the legislation as a landmark achievement that would further enhance internal security and improve citizens’ access to government services.
He said the Tinubu administration inherited a fragmented identity management system in which critical databases operated independently, but explained that reforms had now integrated key government platforms.
“With this law, our security architecture can be enhanced. 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. But today, you can’t get a Nigerian passport without pulling data from NIMC.
“What you have in immigration is what you have in the NIMC database, and let me say this clearly, that it has even helped our border control process. I know, sometime ago, the Senate President was alarmed by how some terrorists went on pilgrimage, wondering how they crossed our borders. We inherited a fractured system.
“But 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.
“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 development comes after Dr Bashir Kurfi during a programme aired on Trust TV, claimed that the Katsina state government sponsored some non-state actors on Hajj, but the Katsina government denied the allegation.
In a statement, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, said the allegation was entirely baseless and constituted a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and undermine efforts being made to tackle insecurity in the state.
“The allegation is entirely baseless, unfounded and devoid of any factual basis. It is a deliberate falsehood aimed at misleading the public and undermining the ongoing efforts of the government and security agencies in addressing security challenges across the state,” the statement said.
The government expressed concern that such claims were being circulated at a time when security agencies, with support from the state government, were recording successes against banditry and other criminal activities.
It alleged that the accusation was aimed at distracting public attention from the progress achieved in the state’s security operations and creating distrust among residents.
The statement further accused some individuals and groups of politicising security issues for personal and political interests, alleging that they were unhappy with the government’s refusal to support what it described as questionable schemes designed to divert public resources from developmental projects.
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