By Idriss LAWAL
In the continued quest to improve security and rid the country of terrorists, seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders were recently arrested in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said they were picked up in Katsina while coming back to the country from the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The minister stated that the suspects were intercepted at the Katsina airport last Thursday upon arrival from Mecca and subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS), describing the operation as evidence of the government’s ongoing reforms in identity management and border security.
President Nola Tinubu assented to the legislation in the presence of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; House Leader Julius Ihonvbere; Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi; the World Bank’s representative, Taimur Samad; and the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said the new law marks a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to modernise identity management, strengthen national security, improve public service delivery and deepen the country’s digital economy.
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Speaking after the signing ceremony, Tunji-Ojo described the legislation as a landmark achievement that would further enhance internal security and improve citizens’ access to government services.
According to him, the harmonisation of identity databases has significantly strengthened border control operations and intelligence gathering.
“What you have in immigration is what you have in the NIMC database, and let me say this clearly, that it has even helped our border control process. 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.
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“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”, he added.
