Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed that several criminals on INTERPOL’s red list were recently apprehended at Nigerian airports, following the deployment of advanced surveillance and intelligence systems.
Speaking on Tuesday at a regional workshop on Maritime Border Security in Lagos, the minister disclosed that the arrests took place within just two days, targeting individuals wanted by countries across Europe, including Italy and the Republic of Ireland.
“I can tell you that within two days, a lot of people on the INTERPOL red list were arrested at our airports,” Tunji-Ojo said. “These people would have entered Nigeria 18 years ago, but now, our air terminals are fully integrated into our central surveillance system.”
The arrests, he said, were made possible by major investments in border security infrastructure and the introduction of the Advanced Passenger Information (API) system, which enables Nigerian immigration authorities to pre-profile and screen passengers before their arrival.
“Before now, we had no API solution. Our officers could not pre-profile travelers or query their background. But today, we can tell where someone is coming from and what their records look like even before they land,” Tunji-Ojo explained.
The minister credited the transformation to the current administration, saying the enhanced system has significantly improved Nigeria’s ability to fulfill its international obligations under United Nations resolutions.
Also speaking at the event, Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, highlighted the agency’s role in maritime border security, stressing efforts to prevent foreign terrorist fighters and criminal networks from exploiting Nigeria’s borders.
She warned that maritime insecurity, including illegal oil bunkering, piracy, and armed robbery, continues to pose a major threat to the safety of vessels, crew, and Nigeria’s territorial waters.
The workshop, themed “Regional Maritime Border Security in the Context of Counter Terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea,” brought together security stakeholders from across the West African sub-region.
