Customs Turns to AI Data Tracking to Combat Online Scams, Fake News
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has begun using artificial intelligence and digital data-tracking tools to counter the fake news and online scams that damage its public image.
The disclosure came on Friday, 30 October 2026, at the Neccipr Roundtable ’26 Edition in Lagos, themed “Algorithm Influence & Public Relations”. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, was represented by the Service’s National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada.
Maiwada said that communicators must ensure the public understands and accepts why officers carry out their duties.
“The role of AI cannot be over emphasised, especially within our operations,” he said. “Over the years, AI has been deployed in our core operational duties as well as strategic communication.”
He explained that the technology also supports risk management, which involves assessing the risks in imported goods so they can be categorised by level of risk, allowing customs to intervene appropriately.
Beyond operations, Maiwada said AI can analyse sentiment and show how people perceive the Service’s activities. He added that the NCS is using every available platform to establish the facts, while working with other agencies to arrest those behind misleading information.
Earlier, the convener of the roundtable, Nkechi Ali-Balogun, said the programme began with a simple conviction: public relations professionals must not only manage messages but also lead national discourse.
“This year, we confront a question that touches every one of us. When machines decide what we see, who is really shaping the Nigerian mind?” she asked. “Who now controls the flow of information that shapes what Nigerians believe? We live in a rapidly changing world, powered by AI, where a single algorithm can shape political narratives, throw out conspiracy theories, and dictate what millions read, believe, and share.”
The event also featured keynote addresses from Ike Neliaku, President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), and former Federal Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, among other invited dignitaries.
Their presence underlined the profession’s readiness to uphold the standard of credible information.
