Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has disclosed that individuals on the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) red notice list have been intercepted and arrested at Nigerian airports within a span of two days.

Speaking at a regional workshop titled “Regional Maritime Border Security in the Context of Counter Terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea,” held in Lagos on Tuesday, May 21, 2025, the minister credited recent investments in border surveillance and intelligence infrastructure for the successful arrests.

“I can tell you that to a large extent, we have built a robust database, and we are reaping the fruits of that,” Tunji-Ojo said. “Now, it will interest you that a couple of weeks ago, within two days, a lot of people on the INTERPOL red list were arrested at our airports. It means that these people would have come in.”

He added that the suspects were intercepted upon arrival in Nigeria from countries including Italy and the Republic of Ireland.

“These people would have come into Nigeria 18 years ago, but now we know that in terms of our air terminals, they are in sync because it’s integrated into the central system,” the minister said.

Tunji-Ojo also announced that Nigeria has deployed an Advanced Passenger Information (API) system, allowing immigration officials to screen travellers before their arrival.

“Now, we can tell you that Nigeria now has an API solution. We never had that before now. Before now, we were one of the few countries without an API solution, without the opportunity for our immigration officers to pre-profile people coming into Nigeria,” he said.

According to the minister, the new system enables officials to query passenger data, including records, antecedents, and travel history, as part of efforts to meet international security standards.

“We’ve queried you, we know where you’re coming from, and we can tell from their aspect, we’re now fulfilling our international obligations to our international colleagues by being able to uphold the tenets of UN resolution of the API solution that we have at the moment,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, said the agency’s role in maritime border protection. She noted that threats such as illegal oil bunkering, piracy, and transnational crime continue to challenge security in the Gulf of Guinea.

Nandap said the NIS remains focused on ensuring that foreign terrorist fighters and other criminal elements do not exploit Nigeria’s maritime and land borders.

The workshop brought together regional stakeholders to examine collaborative strategies for maritime security and the broader fight against terrorism in West Africa.