The recent arrest of seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders at the Katsina is a triumph of technology, writes KINGSLEY EBONEKHI
In Nigeria’s recent history, it seemed as if the more notorious criminals were the more invincible. Despite the slew of technology available, somehow, some of the country’s most dangerous but ‘popular’ criminals just seemed elusive. Their sightings in public gatherings are often reported. Yet, the law could not nab them. They simply disappeared into the shadows and easily crossed borders, rubbishing the country’s security architecture and diminishing public confidence of a secure country.
Hence, the recent arrest of seven suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina while returning from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage is significant. A game changer into how criminality can be arrested. It is a demonstration of what is possible when institutions begin to communicate with one another, when technology replaces bureaucracy, and when intelligence is treated as dynamic and interconnected.
According to Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the breakthrough was possible because the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database is now integrated with the Nigeria Immigration Service and linked to international law enforcement platforms, including Interpol. The suspects were reportedly identified immediately upon arrival and handed over to the Department of State Services. The development coincided with President Bola Tinubu’s signing of the new NIMC Act, legislation designed to strengthen identity management and improve cooperation among government agencies.
“With this law, our security architecture can be enhanced,” Tunji-Ojo said, while disclosing the arrest of the terrorist commanders.
“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.”
This represents exactly the direction Nigeria should have taken many years ago. Modern terrorism is no longer fought solely with guns, fighter jets and military offensives. It is increasingly fought with data. Around the world, intelligence-led policing has become the defining feature of successful counter-terrorism operations. Governments now understand that identifying a suspect before an attack is infinitely more valuable than responding after innocent lives have already been lost.
For decades, Nigeria’s security architecture has operated in a scattered manner. Telecommunications companies collect one set of data. Banks collected. For drivers’ license, it was another. Immigration had their own records. Same with NIMC. Intelligence agencies possessed their own databases. International security organisations had yet another. Information existed, but often in isolated files. Agencies found it difficult to share. And the criminals effectively exploited just as government institutions closed them. But things are changing as the recent arrests show.
Since assuming office, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has repeatedly emphasised the importance of inter-agency collaboration and intelligence-driven operations. Rather than allowing military, intelligence and civilian institutions to operate independently, the emphasis has shifted towards coordination. The objective is that every relevant agency should see the same picture at the same time. That philosophy appears to be producing measurable results.
The Interior Ministry under Tunji-Ojo has simultaneously embarked on reforms with profound security implications. Passport automation, immigration reforms, border surveillance upgrades, digital identity integration, and the establishment of an Integrated Operations Centre are not merely civil service improvements. Many Nigerians focus on the visible aspects of security, by seeing soldiers deployed to troubled communities, hearing reports of air strikes against terrorist camps and celebrating the elimination of notorious kingpins. Those achievements matter enormously. But invisible victories are often even more consequential.
When a terrorist is quietly identified through biometric verification before boarding an aircraft, when immigration software silently flags a wanted individual without human interference, or when an intelligence officer receives instant alerts because databases communicate in real time, those victories rarely make dramatic headlines. Yet they often prevent tragedies. That is precisely why the Katsina Airport arrests deserve attention. Instead of relying on luck or chance recognition, the detection reportedly emerged through automated systems. Technology performed what it should have done before human officers completed the operational response. That is how modern border security functions in advanced societies.
Of course, the arrest does not signal the end of terrorism. Boko Haram, ISWAP, bandit groups and other violent organisations remain active across several regions of the country. Their tactics continue to evolve. Indeed, Tunji-Ojo himself acknowledged that while Nigeria’s air borders have become considerably more secure through technological integration, land borders remain more difficult to monitor because of their sheer length and porosity. By implication, the logical next phase is therefore obvious. Biometric verification must become standard across government services. Let us quickly be able to know who is who. Real-time information sharing among customs, immigration, police, military, DSS and other agencies must become institutional culture rather than exceptional practice. Security is strongest when information travels faster than criminals.
Equally important is maintaining strong international cooperation. Terrorism is no longer confined within national boundaries. Financing, recruitment, communication and movement frequently span several countries. No nation, regardless of its military capability, defeats transnational terrorism in isolation. Nigeria’s growing embrace with international policing systems therefore is a plus.
There is also an important governance lesson in this arrest. For years, conversations around digital identity in Nigeria often centred on banking, telecommunications, social programmes or electoral administration. The new identity management architecture demonstrates why a reliable national identity system matters beyond administrative convenience. It allows governments to distinguish legitimate citizens from those attempting to exploit false identities. It reduces identity fraud and stifles terrorist mobility.
Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid to the Interior Ministry, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the numerous security professionals working quietly behind the scenes is that this operation appears to have unfolded without public drama. The suspects were reportedly identified, intercepted, transferred to the appropriate authorities and taken into custody through established procedures. That is exactly how professional security institutions are expected to function.
Good governance and good security are increasingly inseparable. A secure nation and a free society can coexist when institutions operate within the law and technology serves clearly defined public interests. The arrest of the seven suspects should be recognised as proof that painstaking institutional reforms do produce tangible operational successes. Ultimately, Nigerians do not demand perfection from their security agencies. What citizens seek is visible competence and evidence that lessons from past failures are shaping future successes.
If the integration of identity databases, immigration systems and international intelligence platforms can identify seven suspected terrorist commanders returning from a pilgrimage, then it has already demonstrated its value. If these reforms continue to expand across every layer of Nigeria’s security ecosystem, the country will gradually reduce the operational space available to those who seek to threaten innocent lives.
Wars against terrorism are rarely won by boots alone. More often, they are won quietly through intelligence, stronger institutions, smarter technology and seamless cooperation. Indeed, proactive security begins long before weapons are fired.
Ebonekhi writes from Abuja
