Hajj: Security operatives arrest seven suspected terror commanders at Katsina Airport

Seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist groups have been arrested at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina after returning from the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The Federal Government described the operation as one of the most significant successes recorded through Nigeria’s integrated digital identity system.

Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed the development on Friday shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Bill, 2026, into law. He said the arrests demonstrated the effectiveness of the administration’s ongoing reforms in identity management and border security.

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

Tunji-Ojo attributed the breakthrough to the integration of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) 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 assented to the NIMC Act, 2026, 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 accelerate 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 tackle terrorism, identity theft, financial crimes and other transnational offences.

He added that the reforms had also enhanced the passport application process by ensuring that no Nigerian passport could be issued without identity verification through the NIMC database.

According to the minister, the integrated system has significantly improved border security and intelligence gathering by enabling security agencies to access a unified identity ecosystem capable of tracking high-risk individuals across multiple government platforms.