ON THE ISSUE OF DISSEMINATION AND UTILIZATION OF INTELLIGENCE FOR BORDER SECURITY BY THE NIGERIA CUSTOMS SERVICE

Abstract

The task of regulating the activities along the nation’s border and ensuring national security calls for designing and redesigning security architect particularly in dissemination and utilization of intelligence among the security agencies and in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCR). The prevalence of violence in Nigeria and illegal inflow of arms, drugs and persons informed the need to examine the dissemination and utilization of intelligence, its implication on national security and the challenges associated with it. The paper was descriptive and combined primary and secondary sources of data collection. The primary source adopted questionnaire while the secondary combined interview and available materials. The study found that NCS relied largely on human intelligence, while there was weak cooperation between the NCR and other security agencies which in turn negatively affected dissemination and utilization of intelligence with grave implications of national security. In dissemination and utilization of intelligence, the NCR was largely guided by the relevance, timeliness and trustworthiness of the intelligence. Challenges associated with dissemination and utilization of intelligence included poor technological development, jealousy and lack of trust. The study recommended that the NSC should endeavour to improve the relationship between it and other security agencies while the poor network of communication equipment should be attended to and for the borders to be properly manned to checkmate illegal inflow of banned and dangerous items to ensure national security.