Seven suspected commanders linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been arrested at Katsina Airport after returning from the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The Federal Government described the operation as a major success made possible through Nigeria’s integrated digital identity system.
Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the development shortly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act, 2026, into law. He said the arrests highlight the effectiveness of the government’s ongoing reforms in identity management and border security.
According to the minister, the suspects were identified immediately after arriving in Nigeria through the country’s integrated identity verification system and were subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) for further investigation.
Tunji-Ojo explained that the breakthrough resulted from the integration of the National Identity Management Commission database with the Nigeria Immigration Service and international security platforms, including Interpol.
He noted that the previous identity management system operated with disconnected government databases, but recent reforms have created a unified platform that allows seamless information sharing among security agencies.
The minister stated that the seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders were flagged through the integrated system while arriving at Katsina Airport from the Hajj pilgrimage, leading to their immediate arrest.
President Tinubu signed the NIMC Act, 2026, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja in the presence of top government officials, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), NIMC Director-General Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and other senior officials.
Tunji-Ojo described the new legislation as a landmark reform that will further strengthen the harmonisation of Nigeria’s identity databases, improve the credibility of the National Identity Number (NIN), boost collaboration among government agencies, and enhance the country’s ability to combat terrorism, identity theft, financial crimes, and other cross-border offences.
He added that the reforms have also improved the passport application process by making identity verification through the NIMC database compulsory before a Nigerian passport can be issued.
According to the minister, the integrated identity ecosystem has significantly strengthened border security and intelligence gathering by enabling security agencies to track and identify high-risk individuals across multiple government databases.
