UPDATED: Nigeria arrests seven Boko Haram, ISWAP commanders returning from Hajj, Minister says

"...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..."

Security agencies last week arrested seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as they returned from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage through the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina State, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced on Friday.

Mr Tunji-Ojo disclosed the development at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law.

According to the minister, the suspects were intercepted at the Katsina airport on Thursday last week and handed over to the State Security Service (SSS, also called DSS).

“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,” Mr Tunji-Ojo said.

The minister did not disclose the identities of the suspects, whether they had been on security watchlists before travelling to Saudi Arabia, how they obtained travel clearance or whether they have been formally charged. He also did not indicate whether the suspects had travelled on Nigerian passports or whether they had previously been on any domestic or international watchlists.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately obtain independent confirmation from the SSS, which the minister said had taken custody of the suspects, or from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) as of the time of this report.

Caught by technology

Mr 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.

“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 minister said the Tinubu administration inherited fragmented identity management systems that limited information sharing across government agencies.

“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.”

He 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.

NIMC Act gets presidential assent

President Tinubu on Friday signed the NIMC Act 2026 into law, repealing the National Identity Management Commission Act of 2007 and introducing a new legal framework for Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.

Government officials said the legislation strengthens the legal foundation of the National Identification Number (NIN) system and expands NIMC’s role in secure digital identity management.

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.

The signing ceremony was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote and other senior government officials.

Mr Akpabio said the National Assembly subjected the legislation to extensive scrutiny and international benchmarking before its passage.

Fresh questions over Hajj screening

The minister’s disclosure is likely to raise fresh questions about how the suspects were able to undertake the pilgrimage and what level of security screening was conducted before they departed Nigeria.

The revelation also comes days after allegations circulated that the Katsina State Government sponsored Hajj pilgrimages for some bandit leaders.

The Katsina State Government has denied the allegations, describing them as false, baseless and politically motivated. In a statement issued earlier this week, the state’s Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs said there was no evidence that the government sponsored any individual involved in banditry or other criminal activities for the pilgrimage.

Mr Tunji-Ojo did not suggest that the seven suspects arrested at the Katsina airport were among any government-sponsored pilgrims, nor did he link their arrests to the allegations against the Katsina State Government.

Across Nigeria, many Muslim pilgrims sponsor their own Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, while others are sponsored by wealthy individuals, state governments and the federal government.

Security experts have long advocated stronger integration of national identity, immigration and intelligence databases to improve the detection of wanted persons attempting to cross Nigeria’s borders or travel internationally.

Friday’s disclosure marks one of the clearest public examples offered by the federal government of how integrated digital identity systems are being deployed to support counterterrorism and border security operations.

More official details, including the identities of the suspects and any criminal charges against them, are expected in the coming days.

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