The Truth Behind the Algorithm: How Nigeria Customs Is Fighting Fake News With AI

In today’s hyperconnected world, information travels faster than truth. With every click, a rumour can become reality; a single screenshot can destroy years of public trust. This is especially hard for institutions like the Nigeria Customs Service, an agency that depends on credibility to do its job. For years, the NCS has found itself at the receiving end of fake news, manipulated images, and online scams that use its name to deceive citizens. Sometimes a fraudster posts a fake recruitment notice and collects money from desperate young people. Other times, a doctored video goes viral, showing an officer doing something wrong, and the whole Service is condemned in the court of public opinion. These stories do not just embarrass officials; they create panic, undermine legitimate trade, and erode the relationship between the government and the people it serves. To fight back, the Customs Service has begun to deploy new-age digital data-tracking intelligence tools. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, represented at the event by the National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this at the just-concluded Neccipr Roundtable ’26 Edition held in Lagos, under the theme “Algorithm Influence & Public Relations.” It was a gathering of communicators, not just uniformed officers, and the conversation centred on a question that touches every Nigerian: when machines decide what we see, who is really shaping what we believe? By stepping into this conversation, Customs signalled a major realisation—fighting misinformation is no longer about writing press releases and hoping editors publish them. It is about tracking the digital footprint of lies, understanding the algorithms that spread them, and responding with data, speed, and purpose. But beneath all the technology lies a very human problem: behind every scam is a victim, and behind every fake story is a citizen who deserves better.

Maiwada explained that artificial intelligence is no longer some distant, futuristic idea. It is already woven into the daily operations of the Nigeria Customs Service. One of the most important uses is in risk management. Imagine a container arriving at Lagos ports from another country. Is it carrying bags of rice, or is it hiding arms and ammunition? Is the importer telling the truth about the value of the goods, or are they trying to pay less duty than they should? These are not easy questions to answer, especially when officers must process hundreds of containers every day. AI helps by analysing data, spotting patterns, and categorising imported items according to their levels of risk. This means low-risk goods can pass quickly, while suspicious shipments are flagged for closer examination. The human benefit is enormous: honest businesses do not waste time waiting, smugglers are more likely to be caught, and the country is protected from illegal and dangerous imports. But AI also helps the Service in a softer, more subtle way: it can analyse sentiment. It can scan social media platforms, news comments, and online forums to understand how Nigerians truly perceive Customs activities. If a video of an alleged officer extorting money starts trending, AI can help determine whether that video is authentic, old, or even completely fabricated. If a WhatsApp message begins circulating, claiming that the Customs is holding a special auction at a ridiculously low price, AI can trace the source and give officers the information they need to warn the public before more people fall victim. In other words, the same technology that allows a scammer to hide behind a fake identity also gives Customs the power to expose them. The Service is using every available platform to establish facts and is working with other agencies to arrest those behind misleading information. It is a new kind of public relations—not just talking, but listening, verifying, and protecting.

But why does any of this matter to the ordinary Nigerian? It matters because Customs officers are often the first point of contact between citizens and the government at borders, seaports, and airports. Their decisions affect the price of imported goods, the speed of trade, and the safety of the nation. Yet many citizens do not understand why officers behave the way they do. Why is my container being inspected? Why is there a delay? Why did they seize my goods? In the absence of official explanation, fake news rushes in to fill the gap. Rumours spread on social media, and an action that might be completely lawful is painted as corruption or harassment. Maiwada spoke directly to this problem. He said that as a communicator, it is important to ensure the general public understands and accepts why officers carry out their duties. That statement carries more weight than it might seem. It means that the Nigeria Customs Service no longer sees communication as an afterthought, but as part of its core responsibility. If people understand that a thorough examination is not harassment but a safeguard, they are more likely to cooperate. If they understand that a duty is not an arbitrary tax but a legal requirement, they become less likely to be manipulated by political agitators. This is where AI becomes a powerful ally. It can identify rising frustration, detect harmful narratives before they explode, and give communicators the evidence they need to respond not with anger, but with facts and clarity. However, there is a warning hidden in this story. Algorithms are neutral. They can be used to spread truth just as easily as they can be used to spread lies. The technology can track a false story, but it cannot persuade a doubting heart. That requires human beings—officers who are trained in empathy, spokespeople who can explain complex decisions in simple language, and leaders who are willing to admit when mistakes happen.

The Neccipr Roundtable itself was a response to this changing media landscape. The convener of the programme, Nkechi Ali-Balogun, explained that the event began with a simple conviction: public relations professionals must not only manage messages but also lead national discourse. This year, she confronted 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? These are not abstract questions for academics to debate in quiet lecture halls. They are urgent matters of daily survival. In Nigeria, as in many parts of the world, social media platforms have become battlegrounds. A single viral post can sway political opinion, incite ethnic tension, or cause panic about public health. Ali-Balogun warned that a single algorithm can shape political narratives, throw out conspiracy theories, and dictate what millions of people read, believe, and share. Think about the last time you saw a shocking headline on your phone. Did you click on the fact-check button, or did you immediately share it with your friends? Most of us share first and think later, and that is precisely what those who spread fake news are counting on. For an institution like Customs, this means its reputation can be damaged in the time it takes to type a tweet. But for the nation as a whole, it means that entire communities can be misled, divided, and set against one another. That is why the Customs Service’s decision to use AI and data tracking is so significant. It accepts that the battle for trust is now being fought in digital spaces. It understands that official messages must do more than exist—they must compete with misleading content and, ideally, outperform it in every search result and every newsfeed.

The event in Lagos was not just a one-agency affair. It brought together some of the most influential voices in Nigerian public life. There was a keynote address from the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Ike Neliaku, and another from former Federal Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, along with other invited dignitaries. Their presence was a reminder that the fight for credible information is a collective undertaking, not a solo project. The NIPR represents the professional standards of public relations in Nigeria, and when its leadership joins a conversation about algorithms and influence, it is a public admission that communicators across every sector must adapt or be left behind. Ezekwesili, well known for her advocacy of accountable governance and her outspokenness on national issues, brought an even wider perspective. She has spent years calling for transparency in government, and she understands that when public institutions lose credibility, democracy itself begins to suffer. The meeting in Lagos, therefore, was not only about protecting the image of the Nigeria Customs Service. It was about the kind of society Nigerians want to build. It was about whether public relations professionals are willing to be passive observers, watching the algorithms run wild, or active guardians of truth, using every tool available to keep the public informed. By bringing together government agencies, private sector communicators, civil society advocates, and the NIPR, the roundtable demonstrated a professional readiness to sustain the standard of credible information. It also sent a clear signal to those who profit from scams and fake news: the institutions are no longer defenceless. They are watching the watchers.

The Nigeria Customs Service’s adoption of AI-driven data tracking is a welcome step, but it is only a beginning. Technology alone cannot solve the crisis of trust. Algorithms are tools, not values. They can detect a scam, trace a lie, and analyse public sentiment, but they cannot restore a broken relationship between a citizen and the state. That requires human beings—officers who treat the public with respect, leaders who communicate with honesty, and citizens who take responsibility for what they share. The fight against fake news is not a war that can be won once and for all. It is a continuous, daily effort. Every time an elderly woman receives a text message saying her package is delayed and she must pay a fee to a fake Customs account, someone must be there to prevent that theft. Every time a video of an old incident is reposted as new and used to stoke anger, someone must be there to fact-check it. The Nigeria Customs Service, with the support of public relations professionals and partner agencies, is positioning itself to be that someone. But in the end, the most powerful algorithm is the human conscience. As Nkechi Ali-Balogun so powerfully reminded the audience, millions of people read, believe, and share whatever machines decide to show them. Yet we still have the power to pause, to question, and to verify before accepting anything as truth. If institutions like Customs continue to invest in transparency and intelligent technology, and if citizens choose to value facts over sensationalism, then fake news will eventually lose its grip on the public mind. We may never be able to silence every liar, but we can make sure that when the truth speaks, it is loud enough to be heard—and that, in the end, is what trust is all about.