Customs turns to AI to track fake news and online scams
- The Nigeria Customs Service says it is using artificial intelligence and digital tools to track false claims and scams about its work.
- Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi's representative told a Lagos roundtable that AI already helps screen imported goods for risk.
- The service says it is working with other agencies to find people behind misleading posts.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has begun using artificial intelligence and digital tracking tools to find fake news and online scams that damage its image.
Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi disclosed this at the NECCIPR Roundtable 2026 in Lagos, according to reports by Vanguard and The Whistler. He was represented by the service's National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada.
The event, held on Friday, October 30, was themed "Algorithm Influence and Public Relations".
What the service says the tools do
According to Maiwada, AI is not new to Customs. It is already used to assess the risk level of imported goods and decide where officers should intervene.
He said the technology also helps the service read public sentiment, meaning how Nigerians feel about its activities.
"The role of AI cannot be overemphasised, especially within our operations," Maiwada said.
On fake news, he said Customs is using digital platforms to check facts and is working with other agencies to identify and arrest those behind misleading information.
For the ordinary trader or traveller, the message is that the service wants the public to understand why it holds goods, charges duties or carries out enforcement. Clearer communication could mean fewer surprises at ports and borders, though the reports did not say how the public will see the results.
Why it matters
The announcement comes as concerns grow about how social media algorithms shape what Nigerians read and believe, and about online fraud.
The convener of the roundtable, Nkechi Ali-Balogun, said public relations professionals should help shape national conversation, not just manage messages.
"When machines decide what we see, who is really shaping the Nigerian mind?" she asked.
She warned that a single algorithm can push political narratives and conspiracy theories to millions of people.
The event also featured keynote addresses by Ike Neliaku, President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Governing Council, and former Minister of Education Obiageli Ezekwesili, according to The Whistler.
What happens next: The sources did not give a timeline for the new tools or say how many cases Customs is tracking. Nigerians should expect the agency to speak more publicly about its operations, and to push back harder on viral claims about its officers.
