The federal government may have confirmed report that Katsina State Government sponsored bandit leaders to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.
Dr. Bashir Kurfi, Convener of the Katsina Community Security Initiative had alleged that Katsina government was showing act of kindness to bandit leaders alleging that the government sent some of them to perform this year’s Hajj and gifted them N10m each.
“In Katsina, it is alleged that the government paid about N10 million for each bandit to go to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.
“Let them say that some of these big bandits like Manuri and this guy around the Ranka area were not in Saudi Arabia. Many of them were there. I don’t know whether they are back,” Kurfi had said.
The accusation however drew denial from the state government.
In what maybe a confirmation of Kurfi’s claim, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders were recently arrested through Nigeria’s integrated identity management system while returning from pilgrimage.
The minister said this on Friday at the State House, Abuja, after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the 2026 National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act into law.
Tunji-Ojo said the suspects were intercepted at the Katsina airport last Thursday on arrival from Mecca and subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS), describing the operation as evidence of the effectiveness of the government’s ongoing reforms in identity management and border security.
“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 said.
