Seven suspected Boko Haram, ISWAP leaders nabbed at Katsina Airport after Hajj

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were arrested at the Katsina International Airport while returning to Nigeria from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Tunji-Ojo made the revelation on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law.

According to the minister, the suspects were intercepted last Thursday during immigration clearance at the airport and subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) for further investigation and prosecution.

He attributed the successful operation to the recent integration of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Interpol systems, describing the development as a major breakthrough in the country’s internal security architecture.

Recalling concerns previously raised by Senate President Godswill Akpabio over how suspected terrorists were able to leave Nigeria for pilgrimage and return without being detected, Tunji-Ojo said the current administration had inherited a fragmented identity and border management system but had since transformed it through technology-driven reforms.

“I know, some time ago, the Senate President said something on the floor of the Senate, that some people went on pilgrimage, some terrorists and etcetera, that how did they cross our borders?” the minister said.

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“Because what we inherited was 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, were arrested in Katsina at the airport and were handed over to the DSS.

“And this is only possible because NIMC’s ID is already connected with the immigration database and is already speaking to Interpol 24/7. And we have been able to automate this.”

Tunji-Ojo further revealed that the Federal Government has completed an Integrated Operations Centre (IOC), a first-of-its-kind security command facility designed to coordinate surveillance and strengthen monitoring across Nigeria’s air and maritime borders.

He explained that the centre now provides real-time oversight of border activities, enabling security agencies to identify and intercept persons of interest as they attempt to enter the country.

“With the new IOC that the Ministry of Interior has built—which is the first time in the history of Nigeria that we will be having an Integrated Operations Centre managing our internal security processes—all our maritime and our air border systems have been fully controlled,” he stated.

He added that the seven suspects believed they would pass through immigration undetected as they had allegedly done in the past, but were immediately flagged by the integrated system.

“That was evident last week. They thought it was business as usual, when they will leave and come back, but they were picked right there and handed over to the DSS on Thursday.

“We had to airlift them to Abuja on Saturday and hand them over. They’re in custody as we speak.”

The minister expressed confidence that Nigeria’s airports are now effectively secured against the movement of terrorists and other criminal elements through enhanced identity verification and international intelligence sharing

However, he admitted that land borders remain vulnerable to illegal crossings, assuring that the government is already implementing measures to address existing gaps.

“So, nobody can come through the air borders. The land border is still a bit porous. We are already working on that,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo also noted that the newly signed NIMC Act 2026 provides the legal framework required to deepen integration among critical government databases and security platforms, thereby strengthening national security and identity management.