ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Federal Government has arrested seven suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province commanders who returned from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage, following the integration of Nigeria’s identity management and immigration systems, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed on Friday.
Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 into law, according to a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The minister said the suspects were arrested last Thursday at the Katsina airport after arriving from Mecca and were subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services for further investigation.
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According to him, the arrests were made possible through the integration of the National Identity Management Commission database with the Nigeria Immigration Service database and its linkage to Interpol.
“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,” the minister said.
Tunji-Ojo said the newly signed NIMC Act 2026 would further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by accelerating the harmonisation of identity databases and improving collaboration among security and government agencies.
He noted that the legislation would enhance the integrity of the National Identity Number system while strengthening the country’s ability to combat identity theft, terrorism, financial crimes and other security threats.
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The minister said Nigeria’s identity management system was previously fragmented, with critical services such as passport issuance and driver’s licence processing operating independently of the national identity database.
“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,” he stated.
President Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 on Friday in the presence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, and other senior government officials.