BREAKING: Seven Boko Haram, ISWAP Commanders Arrested at Katsina Airport After Hajj Trip

• Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has disclosed that seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders were arrested at Katsina airport while returning from Hajj.

Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed that seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were recently arrested at the Katsina airport while returning from the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

According to the minister, the suspects were intercepted last Thursday through Nigeria’s integrated identity management system and were immediately handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS).

Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure at the State House in Abuja after President Bola Tinubu signed the 2026 National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act into law.

He said the arrests demonstrate the success of the government’s ongoing reforms in identity management, border security and intelligence sharing.

The minister explained that the Tinubu administration inherited a fragmented identity system, where key government databases operated independently, making it difficult to track criminals and security threats.

However, he said recent reforms have integrated the National Identity Number (NIN) database with immigration and international security systems, including Interpol.

“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 handed over to the DSS,” Tunji-Ojo said.

He added that the new NIMC Act will further strengthen the country’s security architecture, improve identity verification and enhance Nigeria’s ability to combat terrorism, financial crimes and identity theft.

President Tinubu described the new law as a major milestone in modernising Nigeria’s identity management system and deepening the country’s digital transformation.