Go-Live Automated Integration Of NIS Stolen/Lost Document (SLTD) To Interpool Database Makes Nigeria First Leading Country In Africa

Go-Live Automated Integration Of NIS Stolen/Lost Document (SLTD) To Interpool Database Makes Nigeria First Leading Country In Africa

The Nigeria Immigration Service recorded an unprecedented breakthrough by the automation and integration of its system for the monitoring of Stolen and Lost Travel Documents with INTERPOL Global System (IPSG) in Lyon, France and successfully completed the automation and integration of the tool on Monday 07/09/2020.

2. The 150,000 SLTD uploaded records in INTERPOL data base makes Nigeria the first (1st) ranking in Africa and 54th in the world according to INTERPOL POLICE GLOBAL SYSTEM (IPSG) ranking. Nigeria today is the leading first and only African country to have fully automated its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. By this development, Nigerians are advised to desist from using fake, altered, invalidated, withdrawn, stolen and lost travel, since the documents are automatically made available to 194 member countries of INTERPOL. In recent times, some Nigerians have been intercepted in some Airports around the world for using Passports which they earlier reported lost or stolen.

6. 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.