‘How 7 Boko Haram, ISWAP commanders were arrested while returning from Hajj’

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Tunji-Ojo

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The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has narrated how seven commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, were arrested last week at Katsina Airport while returning from the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

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Tunji-Ojo attributed the arrests to the integration of NIMC’s identity database with the Nigeria Immigration Service and international law enforcement platforms.

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The minister made the revelation on Friday when President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Act 2026 into law.

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The signing, the Federal Government said, will strengthen Nigeria’s identity management system, enhance national security, improve public service delivery and accelerate the country’s digital transformation.

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Others present at the ceremony which took place at the State House, Abuja, were Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, World Bank representative Taimur Samad, and Director-General of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote.

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Terrorists commanders nabbed

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Speaking after the signing, the Minister of Interior described the new law as a major milestone in the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms of Nigeria’s identity management architecture.

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Tunji-Ojo said the legislation would strengthen inter-agency collaboration, improve the integrity of the National Identification Number, NIN, system, and enhance the country’s ability to combat terrorism, identity theft, financial crimes and other security threats.

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He disclosed that the integration of the NIMC database with other government identity platforms had already yielded security gains, including the recent arrest of suspected terrorists.

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According to Tunji-Ojo, “We inherited a fractured system. But I’m happy to tell you that even last week, seven known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP, at the point of returning from Mecca, were arrested at Katsina Airport and handed over to the Department of State Services, DSS.

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“This was possible because the NIMC database is now connected with the immigration database and also interfaces with Interpol’s systems on a 24-hour basis,” he added.

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The minister explained that before the reforms, government identity systems operated independently, making effective identity verification difficult.

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“When President Tinubu assumed office, we had disconnected identity management systems. Today, you cannot obtain a Nigerian passport without verification through the NIMC database,” he said.

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