Nigeria to Launch Centralised System for Verifying Travel Documents to Combat Fraud

The Nigerian Federal Government has unveiled plans to establish a centralised system for verifying and authenticating all travel documents nationwide, a move aimed at tackling immigration and document fraud.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, during a high-level meeting in Abuja with the United Kingdom’s Minister of State, David Hanson, alongside delegates from the UK Home Office, National Crime Agency, and British High Commission.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo explained that the absence of a real-time, centralised verification system has been a major factor driving the rise in document fraud. “We discovered that one of the key drivers of rising document fraud is the absence of a centralised, real-time verification system,” he said. He elaborated that currently, verifying multiple documents requires contacting numerous issuing agencies, which leads to inefficiency. “Currently, if someone submits 20 documents, you may need to contact 20 different issuing agencies to verify them. That breeds inefficiency,” he added.

The proposed system will enable instant verification of various documents-including passports, bank statements, and certificates-at a single centre, streamlining border control processes and enhancing security.

Beyond national efforts, Tunji-Ojo revealed Nigeria’s ambition to lead a regional strategy for border management. “To tackle a heterogeneous problem with a homogeneous approach will not work,” he stated, stressing the need for adaptable strategies tailored to different regional contexts. He announced plans for a regional border conference to develop unified yet flexible approaches to migration and border challenges.

In addition, Nigeria’s EU visa solution platform is set to go live on May 1, promising more efficient visa processing and stronger international cooperation while safeguarding national security. “We now have a policy that ensures a response-approval or rejection-within 24 to 48 hours of applying for an EU visa,” Tunji-Ojo said.

On the broader governance agenda, the minister emphasized President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope initiative, highlighting a preventive approach to corruption. “Our performance will be judged not by the number of convictions or recoveries but by how many crimes or frauds we prevent,” he noted.

UK Minister David Hanson affirmed his country’s commitment to continued collaboration with Nigeria on criminal justice reforms and border security. “You can rest assured that the National Crime Agency, the High Commission, and the Home Office are ready to extend a hand of partnership,” Hanson said.