Nigeria Customs integrates INTERPOL intelligence platform to strengthen border risk management

By Olamide Akintunde

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has deployed an INTERPOL Data Centre at its headquarters in Abuja, providing customs officers with real-time access to global criminal intelligence to detect stolen vehicles, cargo and other transported assets entering Nigeria.

The new facility connects the Service to INTERPOL’s international intelligence network, enabling officers to instantly verify whether vehicles, vessels, travel documents, parcels or cargo presented for clearance have been reported stolen or linked to criminal activity anywhere in the world.

Speaking during a demonstration of the platform, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, described the deployment as a significant milestone in the Service’s drive towards technology-enabled border management and intelligence-led enforcement.

He said modern customs administration now extends beyond revenue collection and routine border checks, with digital intelligence becoming critical to combating transnational organised crime, smuggling and other cross-border offences.

Adeniyi disclosed that the Service is also concluding a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with INTERPOL to deepen intelligence sharing, operational collaboration and joint enforcement activities.

He added that the Service’s indigenous B’Odogwu digital platform complements the INTERPOL system and could serve as a model for customs modernisation and trade facilitation across Nigeria and the wider African continent.

INTERPOL Consultant, Chikwe Udensi, said the Abuja facility is the eighth INTERPOL Data Centre in Africa, giving Nigerian Customs officers access to more than 152 global criminal databases.

According to him, the platform enables officers to instantly determine whether any imported vehicle, vessel, cargo or transported asset has been reported stolen or is associated with criminal activities in any jurisdiction.

“This gives officers immediate access to actionable intelligence that strengthens border security, enhances investigations, disrupts criminal networks and protects government revenue,” Udensi said.

He noted that the system will significantly improve the Service’s ability to intercept stolen vehicles and illicit goods before they enter the domestic market while strengthening cooperation with international law enforcement agencies.

Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, disclosed that customs officers have already been trained to operate the platform and that it has been fully integrated into the Service’s existing ICT infrastructure.

Beyond detecting stolen vehicles and other illicit assets, Bomodi said the platform will improve cargo profiling, customs valuation and risk management by providing officers with reliable information on the origin, description and movement history of imported goods.

The deployment of the INTERPOL Data Centre marks another step in the Nigeria Customs Service’s digital transformation agenda, strengthening border security, facilitating legitimate trade and enhancing the country’s capacity to combat transnational crime through real-time global intelligence sharing.