BY EDMOND ODOK – Security operatives have intercepted seven suspected commanders of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist groups at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina.
According to Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the high-profile suspects were apprehended upon their return from the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, adding that the successful operation was driven by Nigeria’s newly integrated identity management system.
Tunji-Ojo disclosed that by merging the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and international security networks, authorities successfully flagged and detained the suspects before immediately handing them over to the Department of State Services (DSS) for further investigation
The Minister, who spoke at the State House, Abuja, after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the 2026 National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act into law, 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.
Tunji-Ojo described the legislation as a landmark achievement that would further enhance internal security and improve citizens’ access to government services, stressing that 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.
He said, “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.”
Interestingly, this latest development is coming against the backdrop of claims by Dr Bashir Kurfi on Trust TV programme that the Katsina state government sponsored some non-state actors on Hajj, but the Katsina government denied the allegation.
But in a statement, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, described the allegation as entirely baseless and constituted a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and undermine efforts being made to tackle insecurity in the state.
Mua’zu statement said: “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.”
Lamenting 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, the State government 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.
Furthermore, the statement accused some individuals and groups of politicising security issues for personal and political interests, claiming 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.
