Seven Boko Haram, ISWAP Commanders Arrested at Katsina Airport After Returning from Hajj
Seven Boko Haram, ISWAP Commanders Arrested at Katsina Airport After Returning from Hajj
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.
