UN, NCAA Mull Profiling Passenger’s Data, Passport Information to Check Terrorists Threat
Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
Concerned by the growing global terrorism threat, the United Nation Counter Terrorism’s office and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCCA), yesterday in Abuja hinted that they would collaborate with member countries to profile passengers’ database through the airlines to detect terrorists on the watch list.
They noted that this is in response to threat by criminals and terrorists who use the airline industry to conduct cruises related to terrorist in Nigeria and in the African region and the rest of the world.
Speaking at the National Consultative Workshop on Countering Terrorist Travel Programme being coordinated by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, in collaboration with the NCAA, the Programme Manager, UN Office on Counter Terrorism, Ms. Marie Marguerite Carpenter, explained that their aim is to detect terrorists using their passport information and passenger name record data.
Carpenter maintained that UN’s goal is to support countries to take the passengers’ data when they check-in or crossing the border to make sure that these data is taken, analaysed and cross checked against international and national databases of watch list individuals
She stressed that the UN has provided comprehensive support to member countries in line with the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions passed in 2017 and 2019.
According to her, “the support we provide are under four pillars, the pillars include supporting countries to develop a national legal framework to be able to collect, analyse passenger data for counter terrorism and to prevent serious crimes purposes.”
She pointed out that under the operational pillar, “they build the capacity of the passenger information unit, which is a multi-agency detection unit that is in charge of receiving the data from the airlines and even maritime operative such that names of passengers are cross checked to be able to detect individuals before their arrival to the country.”
She further stated that they are bringing together all the different organisations, including IOM and the Interpol, adding that they would also get status update on where Nigeria is in the implementation of the passenger data regime so as to develop a roadmap on how to support the country.
Speaking in a similar vein, the Director General of NCAA, Captain Nuhu Musa, stated that the Advance Passenger Information and the Passenger Number Record (APIPNR) were tools to effectively manage, control and maintain travel through details of passenger, adding that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) councils on standard also passed the resolution.
Musa disclosed that the APIPNR identifies potentials criminals, terrorists, illicit drug trading, illicit human trafficking and helps improve facilitation through proper documentations.
“So, it actually verifies if the person is the actual person travelling with the passport. I am sure you have been to places where they want to check the fingerprint, to cross-check with what is actually in the record, to match the record, to ensure that you are who you claim you are. And if for any reason, any security agency, local and international have an alert of you, you will be identified and you will be taken in for whatever processes is bound to be done,” he said.
Musa described the workshop as a global initiative of the United Nations Security Council’s resolution and highlighted the significance of the exercise.
He said: “We are facing certain security challenges and we need to control our borders, we need to know who is coming in and going out of the country. Once you have the proper document and you are scanned, off you go.
“So, it will not only improve security, it will help with facilitation and for us in the aviation sector and transport, it gives us data. When you have data, you can do projections, you can do planning and you can develop strategic plans on how to manage and grow your industry.”
Also speaking, the Focal Person for the Nigeria Immigration Service, Comptroller Muhammed Umar, said an inventory of people coming in and going out of the country has become not only necessary but timely.
Umar noted: “Part of our responsibilities is control of movement of people in and out of the country. And with that kind of responsibility, it is expected that we filter desirable and undesirable elements that are supposed to come in or leave the country.
“If you look at it from that perspective, the role of NIS is quite enormous.
“Every country is trying to key into the global system of control and this programme is part of it. There is a package we call suspect index, and through that database, our system is able to synchronize and give us alert that this is person of interest.”
