Seven Boko Haram, ISWAP commanders arrested returning from Mecca at Katsina Airport

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been arrested at Katsina Airport while returning from the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The Federal Government has described the arrest as one of the biggest breakthroughs achieved through Nigeria’s integrated digital identity system.

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed the development on Friday shortly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assented to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act, 2026, saying the arrests underscored the effectiveness of the administration’s reforms in identity management and border security.

According to the minister, the suspects were intercepted upon arrival in Nigeria and immediately handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) after being flagged by the country’s integrated identity verification system.

Tunji-Ojo said the breakthrough became possible following the integration of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database with the Nigeria Immigration Service and international security platforms, including Interpol.

“We inherited a fragmented identity management system where government databases operated independently. Today, our immigration database is fully integrated with NIMC and linked to Interpol’s 24-hour security network.

“It was through this integrated platform that seven known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP returning from Mecca were identified at Katsina Airport last Thursday, arrested and handed over to the DSS,” the minister said.

President Tinubu signed the NIMC Act, 2026, into law at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in the presence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Director-General of NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and other senior government officials.

Tunji-Ojo described the legislation as a landmark reform that would deepen the harmonisation of Nigeria’s identity databases, strengthen the integrity of the National Identity Number (NIN), improve inter-agency collaboration and enhance the country’s capacity to combat terrorism, identity theft, financial crimes and other transnational offences.

He explained that the integration had also transformed the passport issuance process, making it impossible to obtain a Nigerian passport without identity verification through the NIMC database.

According to him, the reforms have significantly strengthened border control and intelligence gathering by enabling security agencies to access a unified identity ecosystem capable of tracking high-risk individuals across multiple government platforms.