The Federal Government has disclosed that seven suspected commanders of the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorist groups were arrested at the airport in Katsina State while returning from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the revelation on Saturday shortly after Bola Tinubu signed the NIMC Act 2026 into law.

According to a statement issued by the President's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the minister attributed the arrests to the integration of Nigeria's identity management and immigration systems.

"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," Tunji-Ojo said.

He explained that the breakthrough was made possible through enhanced collaboration between the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Nigeria Immigration Service and international security databases.

According to the minister, the National Identity Number (NIN) database is now linked with the immigration system and communicates with Interpol in real time, enabling authorities to identify and intercept persons of security interest as they pass through the country's borders.

"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," he said.

The arrested suspects were subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) for further investigation.

The minister, however, did not disclose the identities of the suspects and the circumstances under which they travelled to Saudi Arabia.

The disclosure has nevertheless sparked fresh questions over how individuals described as "known commanders" of Boko Haram and ISWAP were able to obtain travel documents, leave Nigeria and participate in the annual pilgrimage before being apprehended only upon their return.

The revelation is also expected to revive recent controversy surrounding allegations that the Katsina State Government sponsored some suspected terrorists for the 2026 Hajj exercise.

The allegation generated widespread public debate after it surfaced in the media, but the Katsina State Government firmly denied sponsoring terrorists to the holy pilgrimage, insisting that only duly screened and qualified pilgrims benefited from its Hajj arrangements.