Security Forces Arrest Seven Boko Haram, ISWAP Commanders Returning from Hajj in Katsina

Security operatives have arrested seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina upon their return from the Hajj pilgrimage 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 Bill, 2026, into law.

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. Tunji-Ojo attributed the breakthrough to the integration of the NIMC database with the Nigeria Immigration Service 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.