The Federal Government of Nigeria has called for the establishment of internationally harmonized laws to tackle cyber-enabled organized immigration crimes.
Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this appeal during the Border Security Summit in London, hosted by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, he emphasized the urgent need for a global legal framework to address digital platforms being exploited for human trafficking and illegal migration.
Tunji-Ojo proposed laws that define common penalties for online human trafficking and migrant smuggling, alongside international agreements to dismantle financial networks fueling illegal migration.
“Nigeria calls for real-time content moderation to detect and remove recruiting advertisements for human smuggling and trafficking,” he said. “We also need stronger reporting mechanisms for law enforcement to assess critical data on suspicious accounts and AI-driven early warning systems to flag illicit migration-related content before it spreads.”
He stressed that technology companies must prevent criminal gangs from misusing their platforms.
He stated that authorities must hold big tech companies accountable for allowing organized criminal networks to weaponize their platforms to facilitate irregular migration, human trafficking, and transnational crimes.
Tunji-Ojo further noted that the borderless nature of digital crime necessitates an international response, urging global organizations to enhance intelligence sharing and digital security cooperation.
Under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, he said, Nigeria has intensified efforts to curb cyber-enabled immigration crimes. Security agencies, including the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Police Force, are integrating advanced cyber tools to detect and dismantle digital recruitment networks.
“The Cybercrime Prohibition Prevention Act and the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Enforcement and Registration Act provide a strong legal foundation to prosecute those exploiting digital platforms for illicit migration schemes,” he added.
Nigeria is also investing in cyber-forensic training for immigration security agencies and expanding public awareness campaigns to educate citizens—especially youths—on the dangers of online recruitment into illegal migration and trafficking.
“Collaboration with community leaders, religious institutions, and civil society will strengthen grassroots efforts in countering digital exploitation,” Tunji-Ojo said, calling for a global commitment to digital accountability to close gaps in online governance exploited by criminal syndicates.
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