Nigeria Customs Service looks to biometrics to put a stop to DTI and ASYCUDA hacking

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announced on Monday that it would introduce biometric systems to protect from hackers gaining access to its Direct Traders Input (DTI) system, BusinessDay reported.

The DTI system in Nigeria currently allows importers or agents to make declarations and payments online to reduce human contact when making or processing declarations at customs. The decision to implement a biometric security system comes shortly after NCS warned its licensed DTI operators not to become accessories in the illegal facilitation of trade, as Ships & Ports reported.

Specifically, hackers have been using customs officers’ passwords to hack into the Automated Systems of Customs Data (ASYCUDA) system of Nigerian Customs through the DTI system, TheNigerianDaily.com reported.

Wale Adeniyi, Public Relations Officer for NCS said the new biometric system would only allow authorized officers to have access to the DTI system. Currently, DTI cafes are owned and operated by non-customs officers, challenging effective identity management.

It is not yet known what equipment the NCS will be using to deploy this identity management system, but as previously reported in BiometricUpdate.com in June 2012, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA) announced that it was beginning to introduce biometric cards for its workers to address rising concerns of corrupt customs agents.

According to Adeniyi, there has been no loss in revenue from any hacking activities within its automated customs systems to date.

Article Topics

Africa  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  government purchasing  |  identity management  |  identity verification  |  Nigeria