The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) INTERPOL i-24/7 Desk has recorded an unprecedented breakthrough by the automation and integration of its system for the monitoring of Stolen and Lost Travel Documents.
The Service deployed the system for the uploading of 150,000 Stolen and Lost Travel Documents between 14th February, 2020 and 7th September, 2020 into INTERPOL Global System (IPSG) in Lyon, France and successfully completed the automation and integration of the tool on Monday.
The 150,000 SLTD uploaded records in INTERPOL data base makes Nigeria the first (1st) in Africa and 54th in the world according to INTERPOL Police Global System (IPSG) ranking. By this development, Nigeria today is the leading and only African country to have fully automated its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database.
This success was achieved with the immense support of the INTERPOL Global System (IPSG), United States National Central Bureau (USNCB) Washington, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and National Central Bureau (NCB) of the Nigerian Police Force, Abuja.
The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, MFR, while appreciating the support of the agencies mentioned above that made the automation and integration successful, said that it will go a long way in curbing identity theft and use of Stolen and Lost Travel Documents by criminal elements seeking to hide their identities to cross national borders and engaged in illicit activities worldwide.
According to a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Sunday James, “By this development, Nigerians are advised to desist from using fake, altered, invalidated, withdrawn, stolen and lost travel, since the documents are automatically made available to 194 member countries of INTERPOL.
“The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service therefore warned holders of Nigerian Passports not to use such re-issued Passport anywhere in the world as failure will lead to arrest and prosecution.”
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