Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria's interior minister, announced on Friday that seven suspected ISWAP and Boko Haram commanders who were returning from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage had been arrested thanks to Nigeria's integrated identity management system.
Shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 into law, Tunji-Ojo revealed this at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, according to a statement signed by the president's assistant, Bayo Onanuga.
The minister claims that after returning from Mecca, the suspects were apprehended at the Katsina airport last Thursday and turned over to the Department of State Services. The integration of the National Identity Management Commission database with the Nigeria Immigration Service database and its link to Interpol, he claimed, enabled the arrests.
"I am aware that a while back, the Senate President was concerned about how some terrorists had passed our borders while on pilgrimage. Our system was broken when we inherited it.
However, I'm pleased to report that on Thursday of last week, seven known commanders of ISWAP and Boko Haram who were returning from Mecca were apprehended at the airport in Katsina and turned over to the DSS.
The minister stated, "We have been able to automate this because NIMC's ID is already connected with the immigration database, and it is already speaking to even Interpol 24/7."
According to Tunji-Ojo, the recently enacted NIMC Act will enhance interagency cooperation and expedite the harmonization of identification databases, strengthening Nigeria's security architecture.
He claims that the bill will strengthen the nation's ability to fight identity theft, terrorism, financial crimes, and other security risks while also improving the integrity of the National Identity Number system.
He claimed that identity management systems were disjointed before the current administration, pointing out that the national identification database was not connected to services like passport issuance and driver's license processing.
We had a disjointed system in our identity data management system when Mr. President joined. At the time, obtaining a driver's license and a passport had nothing to do with our identification database.
However, he said, "You can't get a Nigerian passport today without pulling data from NIMC."
In front of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, and other high-ranking government officials, Tinubu signed the NIMC Act 2026 on Friday.