The Nigeria Customs Service has enhanced its border security and intelligence capabilities with the deployment of an INTERPOL Data Centre at its headquarters in Abuja.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the new facility gives officers access to one of the world’s largest criminal intelligence networks and marks a major step in the Service’s shift toward technology-driven enforcement. He explained that modern customs work now depends heavily on intelligence and digital tools, especially in tackling transnational crime.
Adeniyi also said a planned Memorandum of Understanding with INTERPOL would further strengthen cooperation between both organisations. He noted that Customs is also pushing its indigenous B’Odogwu platform as a digital solution that can support trade facilitation in Nigeria and across Africa.
INTERPOL consultant Chikwe Udensi said the centre is the eighth of its kind in Africa and provides access to more than 152 criminal databases covering stolen vehicles, vessels, cargo, parcels and other transported assets. He said the system allows officers to quickly verify whether goods or transport equipment have been reported stolen anywhere in the world.
Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, said officers have already been trained to use the system and that it is fully integrated into Customs’ ICT infrastructure. He added that the platform will improve cargo profiling, valuation and risk assessment by providing more accurate details on goods and their origins.