Katsina: 7 Suspected Boko Haram, ISWAP leaders nabbed at airport after Hajj

Seven suspected leaders of the terror outfits, Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), have been apprehended at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina State following their return from the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The Nigerian federal government called the operation one of its most successful operations in the use of Nigeria’s integrated digital identity management system.

According to Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the arrest was made just shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the NIMC Bill, 2026 into law on Friday. The minister added that the success of the mission is a sign of the efficiency of the administration’s reforms in identity management and border security.

The minister explained that the suspects were apprehended after their arrival in the country due to the flagging by the integrated identity verification systems of the country and were turned over to the DSS.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo attributed the success of the operation to the linkage of NIMC database with NIS and INTERPOL databases.

“We inherited a fragmented identity management system where government databases operated independently. Today, our immigration database is fully integrated with NIMC and linked to Interpol’s 24-hour security network.

“It was through this integrated platform that seven known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP returning from Mecca were identified at Katsina Airport last Thursday, arrested and handed over to the DSS,” the minister said.