Interior Minister Orbanmi Tonji Ojo said on Tuesday that the offender was requested by various European countries and that the International Police Red List (Interpol) had declared that he had been arrested at Nigeria's airport.
At a regional workshop on maritime border security held in Lagos entitled “Regional Maritime Border Security in the context of Counterterterrorism in the Gulf of Guinea,” the Minister of Home Affairs said the offender had been arrested for winning entry to Nigeria two weeks ago.
The minister, who did not mention the names of the criminals, said they were born from Italy, the Republic of Ireland and several other countries. He added that they were all arrested within two days.
According to Tunji-ojo, arrests have been made possible due to the large investments in surveillance and monitoring collection equipment at border sites.
“We can tell you that we have a largely robust database and enjoy the results. Now, we're interested in the fact that a few weeks ago, within two days, many people on the Interpol and Redlist were arrested at the airport.
“One came from Italy, one came from Ireland, the other came from several countries. These people would have come to Nigeria 18 years ago, but now we know that when it comes to our aviation terminals, they're in sync because they're integrated into the central system,” he said.
The Minister also revealed that Nigeria is using prepaid passenger information (API) to profile passengers coming to the country for the first time.
The minister said the API was used to refer to passenger records, precedents and travel history.
“Now we can tell you that Nigeria has an API solution. Until now, we have never had it before. Until now, we are one of the few countries and without API solutions, we have no opportunity to introduce to migrant officers before they enter Nigeria.
“We didn't have the ability to do that before President Bora Tinubu was on board, but today I tell you that I have it, so if you come to Nigeria today, before you come, we know everything about you.
“We ask you questions, know where you came from and you can know from their side. We are now fulfilling our international duties to our international colleagues by being able to maintain the doctrine of the UN resolution of API solutions we currently have,” the minister said.
Earlier, Keminandap, Director of the Nigerian Immigration Bureau (NIS), said the service plays a pivotal role in maritime border security by ensuring that foreign terrorist fighters and other criminal elements do not exploit the integrity of the country's territorial integrity.
Maritime anxiety from illegal oil fuel belts, fishing, copyright infringement, armed robbery and oil-related crimes threaten the safety of ships and crews, according to immigrant bosses.
She argued that maritime threats undermine regional stability and hinder economic growth and integration.
“The workshop further highlights our collective resolve to tackle copyright infringement, terrorism, illegal flows of weapons, immigration smuggling, human trafficking, and water storage.
“Along the Atlantic coast of West Africa, the Gulf of Guinea is known for copyright infringement, particularly near Nigeria. It plays a potential role for gas beyond the potential energy of offshore oil, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Saon Meh, Principe, Iboly Coast, Togo, Benin, Ghana, and more. GOG Agenda 2063: Resonates with the 2050 Africa Integrated Marine Strategy, Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for African Fisheries and Aquaculture.
“However, maritime anxiety from illegal oil refueling, fishing, copyright infringement, armed robbery and oil-related crimes threatens the safety of ships and crews, which undermine regional stability and economic growth and integration.
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