Minister Of Interior Confirms Arrest Of Criminals On INTERPOL Red List At Nigerian Airports

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, revealed that criminals listed on the International Police red list were arrested at Nigerian airports.

He made this disclosure on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, during a regional workshop on Maritime Border Security titled “Regional Maritime Border Security in the Context of Counter Terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea,” held in Lagos State.

Tunji-Ojo also stated that criminals wanted by various European countries were apprehended within two days of attempting to enter Nigeria.

He credited the arrests to significant investments in surveillance and intelligence-gathering equipment at the country’s border points.

The minister noted that the arrested criminals came from Italy, the Republic of Ireland, and several other countries.

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

“One came from Italy, one came from Ireland, the other one, I think, from a couple of countries. 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 also disclosed that Nigeria now, for the first time, uses Advanced Passenger Information (API) to profile passengers entering the country.

Tunji-Ojo explained that the API is used to check passengers’ records, backgrounds, and travel histories.