The Katsina State Government said it cannot comment on the reported arrest of suspected bandit leaders at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport, Katsina, after they returned from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had earlier announced that seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were arrested at the airport on June 18, 2026 and handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS).

The minister disclosed this at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law.

He said the arrests were made possible by improvements in Nigeria’s integrated digital identity and border management system, which links the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), immigration records and Interpol databases.

“I’m happy to tell you that last Thursday (June 18), seven known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP were arrested at the point of returning from Mecca in Katsina and handed over to the DSS,” Tunji-Ojo said.

However, he did not reveal the identities of the suspects, whether they travelled on Nigerian passports, how they obtained travel clearance or whether they had been on security watchlists before travelling.

Reacting to the development, the Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Mu’azu Danmusa, said the matter falls entirely within the jurisdiction of federal security agencies.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa and later with Daily Trust, Danmusa said the state government neither carried out nor authorised any arrest at the airport.

“These are security and administrative matters handled by federal agencies. The state government is not in a position to confirm or deny the reported arrests.

“Journalists should contact the Nigeria Immigration Service and the DSS for accurate information,” he said.

He added that border control, passenger screening and intelligence operations are the exclusive responsibilities of federal authorities.

Similarly, the state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Bala Salisu Zango, told Daily Trust he was unaware of any such arrests.

“I am not aware of any arrest of bandit kingpins returning from Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Despite the government’s position, the reports have continued to generate debate in the state, with some residents linking the development to earlier allegations that some suspected bandits performed this year’s Hajj through the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board.

Political analyst Dr Bashir Kurfi had earlier alleged on Daily Politics, a Trust TV programme, that some bandit leaders, including a notorious kingpin, were sponsored by the state government for the pilgrimage.

“What we are seeing is disturbing. Many bandits, including Monore, were allegedly sponsored by the Katsina State Government and went to Hajj. This raises serious questions about the screening process,” Kurfi said.

The state government has consistently denied the allegation.

A source within the Nigeria Immigration Service, however, told Daily Trust that arrests were made at the airport but said those apprehended were suspected bandit leaders, not Boko Haram or ISWAP commanders.

“Some of those arrested were suspected bandit leaders, not Boko Haram or ISWAP commanders.

“Some citizens of the Niger Republic were also among those arrested after returning through Katsina Airport,” the source said.

Another source close to the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board also alleged that several suspected bandits participated in the 2026 Hajj through the state’s official pilgrimage arrangement, claiming there were lapses in the screening process.

The source alleged that some suspects from Dutsinma, Katsina and Jibia areas travelled with their families and aides through agents who facilitated their registration.

But the Executive Director of the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Yunusa Abdullahi Dankama, dismissed the allegations.

“I am not aware of any bandits who performed this year’s Hajj through the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board. I am also not aware of any arrests linked to the pilgrimage,” he said. (Daily Trust, but headline reworked)

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