The Federal Government has announced the arrest of seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) upon their return from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law.
According to the minister, the suspects were arrested last Thursday at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina State as they arrived from Mecca.
“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,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He said the arrests were made possible through the integration of Nigeria’s digital identity management system with immigration records and international security databases.
The minister explained that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database now interfaces with the Nigeria Immigration Service and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), enabling security agencies to identify persons of interest at the country’s borders.
According to him, the Tinubu administration inherited fragmented identity management systems that made information sharing among government agencies difficult.
“When Mr President came on board, we had a disconnected system within our identity data management framework. Today, you cannot obtain a Nigerian passport without verification through the NIMC database,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo, however, did not disclose the identities of the suspects or indicate whether they had been on security watchlists before travelling to Saudi Arabia. He also did not state whether they had been formally charged.
As of the time of filing this report, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had yet to issue official statements confirming the arrests.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu on Friday assented to the NIMC Act 2026, which repeals the 2007 Act and provides a new legal framework for Nigeria’s digital identity system.
Government officials said the law strengthens the National Identification Number (NIN) framework, enhances secure identity verification and promotes data sharing among government agencies to improve national security and service delivery.
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, Director-General of NIMC Abisoye Coker-Odusote and other senior government officials.
The minister’s disclosure has also raised fresh concerns over the screening process for pilgrims after allegations surfaced earlier this week that some bandit leaders were sponsored for the pilgrimage.
The Katsina State Government has denied the allegations, describing them as false and politically motivated.
Security analysts have consistently advocated stronger integration of national identity, immigration and intelligence systems to improve the detection of wanted persons attempting to travel within and outside the country.
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