Every public institution knows the sinking feeling of watching a false story explode online. A misleading headline, a doctored screenshot, a rumor shared through a hundred WhatsApp groups—within hours, the narrative is set, and the truth is left scrambling to catch up. The Nigeria Customs Service has decided it cannot keep playing defense in this digital game. That is why it is now deploying artificial intelligence and digital intelligence tools to monitor online information, establish facts, and counter misleading narratives before they cause lasting damage to the service’s reputation. The move was announced by Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adeniyi, in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja through the service’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada. Adeniyi made his remarks at the 2026 Nigerian Council of the Institute of Public Relations (NECCIPR) Roundtable, a forum focused on the increasingly powerful role of algorithms in public communication. His message was straightforward: the agency that protects Nigeria’s borders must also learn to protect its own story. In an era when citizens consume news through feeds, threads, and viral clips, a government institution cannot rely only on official press releases issued at the end of the day. It must be present in the conversation, using the same digital tools that make misinformation so fast and so persuasive. This is not a one-off campaign or a public relations gimmick. It is a structural change in how the Customs Service thinks about both communication and security. If a false story about customs operations is allowed to spread unchecked, it does more than embarrass the agency; it undermines the confidence that citizens and businesses place in the entire system of trade, tariffs, and border control. For an organization that already uses technology to scan cargo and verify trade documents, applying the same mindset to public information is a natural, if overdue, evolution.
AI, of course, is not new within the Nigeria Customs Service. Adeniyi was careful to point out that it has been part of core operational duties for years, especially in the field of risk management. When goods arrive at Nigeria’s seaports and border posts, they bring data: product descriptions, weights, values, countries of origin, consignee histories, and shipping patterns. AI-assisted risk management systems sort through that data and classify each consignment according to its level of risk. A low-risk shipment can be cleared quickly, avoiding unnecessary delays and supporting the smooth flow of legitimate trade. A high-risk shipment, by contrast, is flagged for closer inspection, allowing customs officers to focus their time and energy where they are needed most. This is not just about efficiency; it is about intelligence. It gives the service a clearer picture of what is entering the country and a principled basis for deciding when and how to intervene. The same logic applies to communication. AI can be trained to read the tone and direction of public conversation about customs. It can detect when a local incident is being exaggerated, when a routine enforcement action is being misrepresented, and when false narratives are being deliberately amplified for malicious purposes. This is the digital equivalent of a customs officer looking beyond the surface of a container to find what is hidden underneath. The Comptroller-General’s phrase, “the role of AI cannot be overemphasized,” captures this dual purpose nicely. In risk management, AI helps the service ask better questions: What is this shipment really? Where did it come from? What patterns do we know about similar goods? In strategic communication, AI helps ask equally important questions: Why are people angry? Which story is gaining traction? What is the underlying concern? By using machine learning to process vast amounts of information in seconds, customs officers can spot anomalies that would take human teams weeks to uncover. And in an environment where trade volumes are growing and threats are becoming more sophisticated, this ability to see clearly is no longer a luxury—it is a necessity.
Perhaps the most human element in Adeniyi’s speech concerned the need for effective communication. He stressed that the public should understand the rationale behind the actions and operations of customs officers. This is a subtle but important point. Too often, government agencies assume that it is enough to be right. But in public life, being right is not the same as being understood. When an officer seizes a vehicle, impounds a consignment, or requires additional documents, there is always a legal and operational logic behind that decision. The person on the receiving end, however, may see only frustration, delay, or loss. Without clear communication, that frustration can quickly turn into suspicion, and suspicion can harden into hostile narratives. AI can help bridge this gap. By analyzing public sentiment, the service can learn how Nigerians actually perceive its activities—not how it wishes to be perceived. It can identify the issues that matter most to traders, truck drivers, importers, and ordinary citizens. It can also give the service a chance to explain before anger takes over. For example, if a video of a dramatic operation begins circulating without context, digital intelligence can help customs officials respond quickly with the facts: why the operation happened, what was found, and what legal process was followed. This kind of proactive communication is not about spin. It is about showing Nigerians that customs decisions are not arbitrary. It is about converting a moment of suspicion into an opportunity for transparency. Adeniyi’s mention of online scams adds another layer to this challenge. Fake news and fraud often travel together. There are cases in which scammers create fake customs websites, send messages mimicking official receipts, or demand payment for goods that were never shipped. These activities do not only hurt citizens; they also weaponize the name of the Nigeria Customs Service. AI can be used to track these schemes, expose their patterns, and warn the public before a particularly convincing phishing message causes more damage.
Still, technology alone cannot rebuild trust. That is why the NCS says it is leveraging digital platforms to establish facts and collaborate with relevant agencies. Adeniyi announced that the service would work with other government bodies and technology partners to identify and apprehend individuals who spread misleading information. This is a significant departure from the usual institutional response, which tends to be passive. Instead of simply issuing a denial and moving on, the service is now prepared to follow the digital trail. If a fabricated statement is circulated in the name of the Comptroller-General, digital forensics can help trace the source of the document. If a social media account is used to impersonate a customs officer, collaboration with platform owners and cybersecurity authorities can identify the person behind it. If a false claim is deliberately manufactured to destabilize operations at a major port, intelligence sharing with law enforcement can lead to real consequences. The Comptroller-General’s words, however, should not be misunderstood as a war on criticism. Constructive criticism helps any institution improve, and the NCS, like every other public body, must remain open to it. The target is not the citizen who raises a legitimate concern. The target is the organized disinformation—sometimes driven by smuggling interests, sometimes by outright fraudsters—that tries to undermine lawful customs work. In this sense, the digital intelligence deployment is a law-enforcement measure as much as a communications strategy. Collaboration matters because no single agency has all the pieces. Customs sees the trade and revenue side; cybersecurity agencies see the attacker’s infrastructure; financial intelligence units see the money trail; communications regulators understand how content spreads across platforms. Only by pooling these insights can the service identify not just a single fake post, but the network behind it. This is how modern institutions should function in an interconnected world: not as silos, but as partners.
The roundtable’s theme, “Algorithm Influence and Public Relations,” provided a fitting backdrop for the announcement. It was an acknowledgment that public communication is no longer shaped primarily by editors and reporters, but by algorithms that decide what to promote, what to suppress, and what to make trend. For public relations professionals, this change is both terrifying and empowering. Terrifying because a single algorithmic recommendation can take a malicious story to millions of people before it has been fact-checked. Empowering because the same technology can be turned toward verification and transparency. The NCS appears to understand this better than most institutions. Customs operations touch the economy, the cost of goods, the flow of trade, and the livelihood of millions of Nigerians. Every decision the service makes generates interest, and interest generates interpretation. Some interpretation is fair; some is careless; some is deliberately malicious. Artificial intelligence will never remove the need for human judgment, but it can help public relations officers understand the terrain. It can identify the issues that are trending, the questions that are being asked, and the voices that are driving the conversation. It can help an organization separate genuine public concern from manufactured outrage. At the same time, the NCS must remember that AI is a tool, not a replacement for values. The credibility of any public institution rests ultimately on its character—on whether it does the right thing and explains itself honestly. Algorithms can amplify a message, but they cannot create trust where there is no foundation. Events such as the NECCIPR roundtable matter because they bring together the people who think deeply about these questions: communication scholars, PR practitioners, media professionals, and policy makers. Their discussion of algorithm influence is not an academic indulgence. It is an urgent practical matter, especially for agencies that are constantly in the public eye and constantly judged by narratives they do not control. By choosing to share this work at a public relations roundtable, the Nigeria Customs Service signaled that communication is no longer an afterthought; it is central to its mandate.
In the end, the Nigeria Customs Service’s use of AI against fake news and online scams is a recognition that trust is an operational necessity. The service cannot function effectively if the public believes every rumor about corruption, arbitrary seizure, or institutional failure. It also cannot function if the public cannot distinguish between legitimate enforcement and online fraud. By investing in AI, digital intelligence, and cross-agency collaboration, the Comptroller-General is trying to ensure that the service’s official voice is not drowned out in the noise. But there is a deeper message in his remarks. Effective communication, he reminded his audience, helps people understand the rationale behind customs officers’ actions. That is a lesson that applies far beyond customs. Every institution that wants to be trusted must be willing to explain itself. It must be willing to listen as much as it speaks. It must be willing to admit that in a world of algorithms and viral misinformation, the truth is not automatic—it has to be built, defended, and communicated every single day. The NCS has taken an important first step. The tools are new, but the goal is timeless: to serve with integrity and to be recognized for it. The road ahead will require careful governance, clear rules, and a strong commitment to civil liberties. There will be difficult questions about privacy, free expression, and the limits of institutional influence. Those questions cannot be ignored. But if artificial intelligence can help the Nigeria Customs Service protect both its borders and its reputation, then the same approach could inspire other institutions to follow. In an age where lies travel faster than ever, the ability to tell the truth well is no longer just a public relations skill. It is a national security asset.