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The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), together with the partners of the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel (‘CT Travel’) Programme, and with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) - Nigeria, facilitated a two-day consultation with the Government of Nigeria on Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems to support the identification, detection, and interception of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and other criminals. The event was part of the comprehensive, yet tailored support provided under the global CT Travel Programme and based on Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee visits and recommendations.

The consultation aimed to establish a comprehensive understanding of Nigeria’s existing level of API and PNR implementation in terms of legal, operational, and technical capacities, as well as national counter-terrorism structure and priorities, in order to identify specific areas for capacity-building support and technical assistance. 

Over fifty representatives from national agencies involved in border management and passenger processing in Nigeria took part in the event. This included participation by national human rights agencies, such as the Commission on Administrative Justice / Ombudsman Office (CAJ), the Nigeria Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), and the Communications Authority of Nigeria (CAN), along with the involvement of the key governmental agencies - the Office Of The National Security Adviser (ONSA), INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Federal Airport Authority Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), State Security Services (DSS), National Agency for The Prohibition of Trafficking in persons (NAPTIP), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ). 

The consultations resulted in an informal agreement that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as the coordinating Office for Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, would serve as the national focal point. Under the framework of the CT Travel Programme, OCT will formally engage with ONSA to formalize this recommendation. Additional next steps included I) developing the roadmap, which will serve to guide implementation in Nigeria, II) holding the first Working Group meetings, and III) delivering the CT Travel foundational training for national focal points.

Led by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), the two-day consultation was also facilitated by the five other implementing partners of the global CT Travel Programme, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations Office of Information and Communication Technology (UNOICT), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Technical support provided under the CT Travel Programme includes the licensing and deployment of the 缅北禁地‘goTravel’ software solution, an API/PNR-based electronic system through which biographic data from a traveller’s passport and flight details are collected by airlines and transmitted to the relevant national authorities at the border before departure or arrival of a specific flight. By checking the data against law enforcement watchlists, such as those of INTERPOL, border authorities can identify FTFs or other suspicious travellers in advance of arrival or transit through a country.