Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, has announced that the ministry’s command and control centre, designed to prevent illegal immigration, is now fully operational. Tunji-Ojo revealed during a Tuesday appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today that the centre began its 24-hour operations on Monday, October 30.

The command centre, first introduced on October 28, focuses on enforcing rigorous screening of individuals entering Nigeria via land borders. “We conducted the induction program about two weeks ago, and as of yesterday, the centre at Soka, the immigration headquarters in Abuja, began its 24-hour operations,” Tunji-Ojo stated.

He highlighted that the centre is now fully integrated with all of Nigeria’s international airports, land borders, and seaports, forming a unified force to combat irregular migration. Additionally, the Minister shared that the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) has been activated and is already receiving data from airlines, including KLM.

Tunji-Ojo explained that the system enables pre-profiling of travelers before their arrival in the country, linking the data to criminal records, Interpol, and other intelligence networks. This allows Nigerian authorities to assess the movements, origins, and routes of individuals well in advance of their entry.

“We are now doing objective profiling, just like in any other advanced country,” Tunji-Ojo added. He emphasized the effectiveness of their Interactive API (IAPI), calling it “the best you can get anywhere in the world.” To ensure uninterrupted operations, the Ministry also installed a 500kW and 0.5MW solar farm to power the command centre continuously.