London: The Federal Government of Nigeria has advocated for internationally harmonised laws on cyber-enabled organised immigration crimes. The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, expressed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in London. Tunji-Ojo highlighted these points while addressing global leaders during the Border Security Summit dedicated to tackling organised immigration crimes.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the summit was hosted by the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. Tunji-Ojo proposed laws that include common definitions of penalties for online human trafficking and migrant-related crimes. These laws also advocate for exponential agreements on cyber-criminals operating across multiple jurisdictions and the assessment of laws to dismantle financial links that fuel illegal migration.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized the need for real-time content moderation to detect and remove recruiting advertisements for human smuggling and trafficking. He also called for 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.
The minister stressed the importance of technology companies enforcing stricter regulations to prevent their platforms from becoming recruitment hubs for human trafficking migrants. He stated that big tech companies need to be more accountable for the misuse of their platforms by criminal gangs. The digital platforms are being weaponized by organized criminal networks to facilitate irregular migration, human trafficking, and other forms of transnational crime.
Tunji-Ojo added that no country is immune to the threats posed by online criminal recruitment, as the borderless nature of digital crime necessitates a coordinated international response. Under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria is taking decisive actions to curb online criminal activities leading to migration and organized crime. The country recognizes the growing interconnection between crime and global migration threats, requiring a proactive, intelligence-driven, and collaborative approach.
Security agencies, including the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Police Force, are integrating advanced cyber tools to detect, disrupt, and dismantle digital recruitment networks. The Cybercrime Prohibition Prevention Act, alongside a Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Enforcement and Registration Act, provides a strong legal foundation to prosecute those exploiting digital platforms for illicit migration schemes.
Nigeria is investing in cyber-forensic training for immigration security agencies to track, investigate, and neutralize digital recruitment networks. Public awareness campaigns are being expanded to educate citizens, especially young people, on the dangers of online recruitment into irregular migration and trafficking. Collaboration with community leaders, religious institutions, and civil society is intended to enhance grassroots efforts in countering digital exploitation. Tunji-Ojo concluded by urging a commitment to a global framework for digital accountability to ensure that criminal syndicates do not exploit gaps in online governance.