BY EMAMEH GABRIEL
I have been writing on matters of national security for the better part of my journalistic career, from the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East to the banditry crisis that has turned communities in the North-West into killing fields. I have chronicled the rise of criminal cartels, the complicity of state actors, and the failure of successive governments to protect the lives and property of citizens. But I must confess that I was taken aback when I read in the news during the weekend about the arrest of seven known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP at the Katsina Airport upon their return from the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
The arrest itself is a commendable development. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, deserves credit for revealing that the arrests were made possible by the integration of the NIMC database with immigration records and INTERPOL systems. It goes to show that the ongoing reforms by the present administration are working and it is not business as usual. For years, we have bemoaned the disconnected nature of our identity management systems. Now, we are beginning to see the dividends of a harmonised database. That is progress. But progress, as the saying goes, is not a destination; it is a journey. And the journey here raises uncomfortable questions.
First, how did these terrorists, these known commanders, obtain Hajj visas? Who cleared them to travel to Saudi Arabia, a country that has tightened its security screening for pilgrims in recent years? How did they pass through Nigerian airports without being flagged? These are not trivial questions. They speak to the integrity of our security architecture, the competence of our intelligence agencies, and the possibility of compromise at multiple levels.
The Minister himself acknowledged that this was only possible because the NIMC ID is now connected with the immigration database and INTERPOL—which means that before this integration, such arrests might not have been possible. That is a terrifying thought.
But there is an even more troubling dimension to this story.
Just recently, a security analyst, Bashir Kurfi, appeared on Trust TV and made a stunning allegation. He claimed that the Katsina State Government, under Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, sponsored bandit leaders for the Hajj pilgrimage, spending as much as N10 million on each of them. According to Kurfi, the government knew the identities and locations of these individuals—he specifically named one identified as “Manuri”—but instead of bringing them to justice, it facilitated their journey to the Holy Land. “How can you be a murderer, you don’t have any faith, and then they take you to Makkah and call you Alhaji?” Kurfi asked during the broadcast.
Now, as a journalist who has spent close to two decades navigating the murky waters of Nigerian politics, I am not one to jump at allegations without proper scrutiny. I know that in our country, accusations are often weaponised for political ends. I know that security discourse has become a tool for scoring cheap points. So, I approached this allegation with the caution it deserves.
The Katsina State Government has denied the claim in the strongest terms. In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Mu’azu, the government described the allegation as “entirely baseless, unfounded, and devoid of any factual basis”. The government further challenged Kurfi to provide “credible and verifiable evidence” to substantiate his claims, warning that legal options would be explored if the allegations remained unsubstantiated. The statement also noted that the allegation surfaced at a time when security agencies, with support from the state government, had recorded notable successes against banditry—suggesting the claim was an attempt to distract from those gains.
But here is where I must depart from the script that many of our politicians follow when they are confronted with serious allegations.
You cannot simply issue a statement, threaten litigation, and expect the matter to go away. This is not about a stolen government vehicle or a misappropriated constituency fund. This is about sponsorship of bandits—individuals who have terrorised communities, killed innocent people, and displaced thousands. If there is any truth to the allegation, it constitutes a grave betrayal of public trust. If it is false, it still demands a serious response that goes beyond the usual bureaucratic denial.
Governor Radda is not the first governor to face such accusations. In recent months, the notorious bandit leader Bello Turji publicly accused former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa and a former Zamfara governor of being responsible for the spiralling insecurity in the North. Bafarawa, for his part, denied the claim, describing it as “absolute rubbish” and accusing unnamed “forces” of using Turji against him. “Where was Bello Turji when I was governor of Sokoto State and how old was he then?” Bafarawa asked. “What do I stand to benefit from banditry or terrorism at my age?” The pattern is consistent: an allegation is made, a denial follows, and then silence. But allegations of state sponsorship of banditry or terrorism are not new. And our leaders have a pattern of responding with threats, denials, and then hoping the storm will pass. It is not enough.
This is not the first time security agencies have intercepted suspected terrorists and bandits at our airports upon their return from Hajj. In July 2023, security operatives arrested a number of suspected bandits, their wives, and informants at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport in Sokoto, immediately after they returned from the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The suspects were said to have originated from Tsafe, Zurmi, Bungudu, and Shinkafi local government areas of Zamfara State. Among those arrested were said to be associates of notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji. In the same operation, the mother and other men connected to a known terrorist kingpin, Gwoska Dankarami, were also intercepted and detained, though they were reportedly released weeks later following directives “from powers above”—after which Dankarami released some female students he had held captive for months.
In 2024, another suspected bandit leader from Zamfara State, Abubakar Idris, was arrested and detained by the DSS after he was allegedly registered as an intending pilgrim for the 2024 Hajj through an aide of Senator Shehu Buba of Bauchi South. The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, exposed this in a letter to President Tinubu, revealing that while Idris was arrested, another suspect, Zainab Aliyu Gado, who was also on the watchlist, managed to travel. The DSS reportedly stormed the Bauchi State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board during their investigation.
In 2025, the arrests continued. Yahaya Zango, a notorious bandit on the wanted list of security agencies, was arrested at the Hajj Camp in Abuja while attempting to disguise himself as a pilgrim preparing for the 2025 Hajj. He was intercepted during routine screening and reportedly confessed to his crimes. In the same year, the DSS arrested seven Hajj pilgrims upon their return over alleged links to terrorism. After four months in custody, investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing, and they were released—each receiving N1 million in compensation from the government.
These arrests, spanning three years across Sokoto, Abuja, Bauchi, and now Katsina, paint a troubling picture. If anything, they suggest a systemic failure that goes beyond individual airports or states. How is it that year after year, wanted terrorists and bandits continue to obtain Hajj visas, pass through our airports, and return undetected? In September 2025, a peace dialogue held in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State drew attention when a notorious bandit figure, Malam Hassan Dan Tawawe, appeared wearing a pilgrim’s cloth bearing the badge of the Kaaba—confirming he had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia and returned safely through one of Nigeria’s official airports.
Observers noted that more than 14 bandits, including some of the most dangerous and wanted criminals, travelled to Saudi Arabia undetected in recent months. Questions continue to trail how they passed through airports in Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, and even Abuja without being flagged, despite their names being linked to terrorism and banditry.
Even the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has been urged to probe failures in security and medical screening during the Hajj exercise, with civil society organisations calling for an investigation into how dangerous criminals found their way into the pilgrims’ registration database without detection. The Independent Hajj Reporters specifically called on NAHCON and State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards to investigate the “sensitive failures in security” that led to the arrest of wanted kidnappers during outbound and return flights.
The danger here is, if terrorists and bandits can travel to Saudi Arabia—a country with some of the strictest security screening in the world—without detection, what does that say about our own security systems? What does it say about the integrity of the Hajj screening process? And what does it say about the possibility that state actors are complicit in facilitating these journeys?
This is why the allegations against the Katsina State Government, whether true or false, cannot be treated lightly. They must be investigated thoroughly and transparently—not by the government itself, but by independent security agencies and judicial bodies. The Federal Government, through the Department of State Services and other relevant agencies, must step in and conduct a comprehensive investigation into how these seven Boko Haram commanders obtained Hajj visas and travelled to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi authorities, too, should be engaged to provide records of how these individuals were cleared for entry.
And for Governor Radda, the path is clear. If Bashir Kurfi has made false claims, the governor should not simply threaten him with legal action. He should invite the security agencies to investigate the allegation thoroughly and transparently. He should open his government’s books to scrutiny. He should challenge Kurfi to a public debate and demand that he either substantiate his claims or retract them under oath. He should engage with the media, not just through a terse statement, but through a sustained campaign of transparency that reassures the people of Katsina that their governor is not in bed with bandits.
And if there is any truth to the allegation, and I am not saying there is, then Governor Radda must be held accountable. The people of Katsina deserve to know whether their tax money was used to sponsor the very people who have made their lives unbearable.
I am not pronouncing a verdict of guilt on Governor Radda. That would be irresponsible. But I am pronouncing a verdict on the mode of response. It is not acceptable. When your integrity is called into question on a matter of national security, you cannot simply retreat to your office and hope the storm will pass.
The arrest of the seven Boko Haram commanders is a security success. The technology that enabled it should be commended. But the questions that the arrest raises, about how these terrorists travelled, who facilitated their journey, and whether state actors are involved in such facilitation, must not be swept under the carpet. A full-scale investigation is not optional. It is imperative.
Nothing less than a judicial commission of inquiry, with powers to summon witnesses and compel the production of documents, will suffice. The National Assembly, too, has a constitutional duty to probe this matter through its relevant committees, ensuring that those found culpable, regardless of their status, face the full weight of the law. Anything less would be an abdication of responsibility.
The technology that enabled the arrest is progress. But progress in one area should not blind us to failure in another. How did seven known Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, pass through Nigerian airports, and return without being flagged until the very moment of arrival?
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