Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders who were returning from Hajj in Saudi Arabia were recently arrested at the Katsina airport.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s integrated identity management system aided the arrest of the suspects, who were handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS).
He said the operation led to their arrest as a result of the government’s ongoing reforms in identity management and border security.
The Minister spoke at the State House, Abuja, after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the 2026 National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act into law.
He said the new law was a landmark achievement that would further improve internal security and improve citizens’ access to government services.
Tunji-Ojo said the Federal Government had been coping with a fragmented identity management system in which critical databases operated independently, adding that reforms had now integrated key government platforms.
“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,” he said.
