The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said on Friday that Nigeria’s integrated identity management system led to the arrest of seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders returning from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
Tunji-Ojo spoke at the Presidential Villa in Abuja shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 into law, according to a statement by the President’s aide, Bayo Onanuga.
He said the suspects were arrested last Thursday at Katsina airport after returning from Mecca and were later handed over to the Department of State Services.
The minister said the arrests were possible because the National Identity Management Commission database is now linked to the Nigeria Immigration Service database and connected 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 new NIMC Act would strengthen Nigeria’s security by speeding up the harmonisation of identity databases and improving cooperation among government agencies.
He said the law would also improve the National Identity Number system and help Nigeria fight identity theft, terrorism, financial crimes and other security threats.
The minister added that before the current administration, identity management systems were disconnected.
“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.
Tinubu signed the NIMC Act 2026 on Friday in the presence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and other senior government officials.
