7 Boko Haram, ISWAP commanders arrested at Katsina Airport upon return from Hajj
Seven notorious commanders of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist groups have been arrested at the Katsina Airport immediately after returning from the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The minister of interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this to State House correspondents in Abuja, attributing the high-profile arrest to Nigeria’s newly integrated identity management and border security systems.
According to the minister, the suspects have since been handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) for further interrogation.
Speaking shortly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the 2026 National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act into law, Tunji-Ojo explained that the operation serves as a testament to the ongoing reforms in the nation’s security architecture.
He noted that the Tinubu administration inherited a fractured and fragmented identity system where critical databases operated in silos, making it easy for criminals to slip through the cracks.
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“When Mr. President came on board, we had a disconnected system within our identity data management system,” Tunji-Ojo said. “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.”
The minister recalled previous concerns raised by Senate President Godswill Akpabio regarding how terrorists could successfully pass through national borders to go on pilgrimages.
“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 added.
Katsina government reacts to sponsorship allegations
The arrests follow a recent controversy triggered by Dr. Bashir Kurfi during an appearance on Trust TV, where he alleged that the Katsina State government had sponsored some “non-state actors” (terrorists/bandits) on the holy pilgrimage.
The Katsina State Government has vehemently denied the claims, describing them as entirely baseless and a deliberate attempt to undermine the state’s security successes.
In an official statement, the state’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, warned that such narratives are designed to distract the public and sow seeds of distrust.
“The allegation is entirely baseless, unfounded, and devoid of any factual basis,” Mua’zu stated. “It is a deliberate falsehood aimed at misleading the public and undermining the ongoing efforts of the government and security agencies in addressing security challenges across the state.”
The commissioner further alleged that certain political actors were trying to weaponize security challenges because the state government had blocked questionable financial schemes aimed at diverting public funds meant for development.
