The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to strengthen its use of artificial intelligence and digital intelligence tools to track fake news, online scams and misleading information targeting the agency and damaging its public image.
The Service disclosed that it was integrating data-tracking intelligence into its communication strategy to identify misleading online narratives, establish facts and support efforts to apprehend individuals responsible for spreading fraudulent information.
The National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this on Friday, October 30, 2026, while representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the Neccipr Roundtable ’26 in Lagos.
The event, organised around the theme, ‘Algorithm Influence & Public Relations’, examined the growing influence of artificial intelligence and digital algorithms on public perception and information dissemination.
Maiwada said artificial intelligence had become increasingly important to the Service’s operations, including its risk management processes and strategic communication.
He explained that the technology was already being deployed to assess imported goods, classify potential risks and determine the appropriate level of Customs intervention.
According to him, AI also provides the Service with tools to analyse public sentiment and understand how Nigerians perceive its activities.
“The role of AI cannot be overemphasised, especially within our operations. Over the years, AI has been deployed in our core operational duties as well as strategic communication.
“AI has also been deployed to aid risk management, which involves assessment of the risks in imported items so that they can be categorised according to their different levels of risk to enable appropriate Customs interventions,” he said.
Maiwada stressed that effective public communication was essential to ensuring that Nigerians understood and accepted the responsibilities and actions of Customs officers.
He added that the Service was exploring available digital platforms to establish facts surrounding misleading reports while collaborating with other government agencies to identify and apprehend those behind false information.
The Customs spokesperson’s remarks come amid growing concerns over the influence of social media algorithms, online fraud and the rapid circulation of unverified information capable of shaping public opinion and damaging institutional credibility.
Earlier, the convener of the Neccipr Roundtable ’26, Nkechi Ali-Balogun, said the gathering was established on the conviction that public relations professionals should go beyond managing organisational messages to actively shape national conversations.
She warned that artificial intelligence and algorithm-driven platforms were increasingly determining the information Nigerians encounter, raising concerns about who controls the narratives influencing public beliefs and opinions.
“This year, we confront a question that touches every one of us. When machines decide what we see, who is really shaping the Nigerian mind? Who now controls the flow of information that shapes what Nigerians believe?
“We live in a rapidly changing world, powered by AI, where a single algorithm can shape political narratives, throw out conspiracy theories, and dictate what millions read, believe, and share,” she said.
The roundtable also featured keynote addresses by the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ike Neliaku, and former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, alongside other invited dignitaries.
The discussions focused on the implications of algorithm-driven information systems for public relations practice and the need for professionals to uphold credible information, responsible communication and public trust in an increasingly digital society.
