The Katsina State Government has distanced itself from reports that suspected bandit leaders were arrested at the Umaru Musa Yar'Adua International Airport after returning from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage, insisting that the matter is the responsibility of federal security agencies.
The controversy followed a statement by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed that seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were apprehended on June 18 upon their arrival from Saudi Arabia and subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS).
Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure at the Presidential Villa in Abuja shortly after President Bola Tinubu assented to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026.
According to the minister, the arrests were made possible through Nigeria's strengthened digital identity and border management system, which integrates the National Identity Management Commission, immigration records and Interpol databases.
"I am 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," he said.
The minister, however, did not identify the suspects or disclose how they secured travel documents, whether they travelled on Nigerian passports, or if they had been on any security watchlist before embarking on the pilgrimage.
Reacting to the development, the Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Mu'azu Danmusa, said the state government was neither involved in the arrests nor in a position to verify the reports.
He explained that airport security, passenger screening, border control and intelligence operations are handled exclusively by federal authorities.
"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.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Bala Salisu Zango, also said he had no information regarding the alleged arrests.
"I am not aware of any arrest of bandit kingpins returning from Saudi Arabia," he stated.
The reports have intensified public debate following earlier claims that some suspected bandits were among pilgrims who travelled to Saudi Arabia through the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Political analyst Dr. Bashir Kurfi had alleged during a Trust TV programme that some notorious bandit leaders, including one identified as Monore, were sponsored by the state government to perform the Hajj.
"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 had alleged.
The state government has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Meanwhile, a source within the Nigeria Immigration Service reportedly told Daily Trust that while arrests were indeed made at the airport, those apprehended were suspected bandit leaders rather than Boko Haram or ISWAP commanders as earlier announced by the minister.
The source also claimed that some citizens of the Niger Republic were among those arrested after arriving through the Katsina airport.
Another source close to the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board alleged that weaknesses in the screening process enabled several suspected bandits to participate in the 2026 Hajj through the state's official pilgrimage arrangement.
According to the source, some of the suspects, said to be from Dutsinma, Katsina and Jibia local government areas, travelled alongside their families and aides after their registration was facilitated by agents.
However, the Executive Director of the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Yunusa Abdullahi Dankama, dismissed the claims, saying he had no knowledge of any bandits participating in the pilgrimage through the board or of any arrests linked to the exercise.
"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," Dankama said.
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