Nigerian Customs Service Gains Access to Global Criminal Databases via INTERPOL Data Centre
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, announced that an INTERPOL data center established at the NCS headquarters now provides access to global criminal databases. This development was disclosed in Abuja during the Inaugural Summit of the Nigeria Customs Police Unit (CPU). Adeniyi emphasized that this access is crucial for combating sophisticated criminal networks that exploit legitimate trade routes to traffic illicit goods such as firearm components, narcotics, fake medicines, protected wildlife, and illicit funds, often utilizing digital channels. The NCS Act 2023 grants the service police powers, but Adeniyi stressed that all enforcement actions, including searches, arrests, and detentions, must be legally grounded and withstand public and judicial scrutiny. He also urged the CPU to integrate technology, including artificial intelligence, advanced scanners, geospatial tools, and electronic cargo tracking, to enhance investigations, while ensuring technology serve...