Police say National Transit E-Manifest will improve intelligence sharing, help track suspects and strengthen crime prevention, while stressing compliance with data protection laws.
By Heapnews
Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has urged hotel owners, hospitality operators and transport unions to adopt the National Transit E-Manifest (NTEM), a digital platform designed to strengthen intelligence gathering and prevent crime.
Disu made the call at a stakeholders’ security engagement on the onboarding of hotels onto the platform at the Police Officers’ Mess, Ikeja, on Wednesday.
He said criminals involved in kidnapping, human trafficking, armed robbery and other organised crimes often exploited gaps in passenger records and hotel registers to conceal their identities and movements.
The platform is designed to improve the management of passenger and guest records, facilitate information sharing among security agencies and support intelligence-led policing, he said.
Disu, who was represented by Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Tijani, said handwritten passenger manifests and inadequate digital records could delay investigations and hamper the timely retrieval and verification of information.
He said integrating identity verification, including the appropriate use of National Identification Number (NIN) verification, into passenger registration and hotel check-in procedures would improve the reliability of records.
However, he stressed that the implementation of the system must comply with relevant laws and protect citizens’ fundamental rights.
Citing the Police Act 2020, Disu said the police had a legal basis to prevent and detect crime, while electronic records intended for court proceedings must meet the applicable requirements of the Evidence Act 2011, including Section 84 where relevant.
He also called for compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 in the collection, processing, storage and protection of personal information.
“Personal data must be handled only for legitimate purposes and in accordance with applicable legal requirements,” he said.
Disu said the platform’s success would depend on cooperation among security agencies, transport operators and hospitality businesses.
He urged transport union executives, motor park managers, hotel owners and security personnel to engage with the implementation team, understand the operating procedures and prepare their organisations for the rollout.
Effective implementation of NTEM would strengthen preventive policing, improve public-private sector cooperation and contribute to a safer environment for residents, visitors and investors, he said.
Nelson Omanibe, a consultant to the Nigeria Police Force on NTEM, said the platform would improve intelligence gathering and crime prevention while protecting hotel guests’ personal information.
He said the conventional submission of hotel guest manifests often resulted in delays, inaccurate records and difficulties analysing large volumes of information.
Such delays could allow suspected criminals to check into and leave hotels before the police received information about them, Omanibe said.
He added that NTEM would enable the prompt transmission and analysis of guest information, helping investigators identify potential threats and respond more quickly.
The platform was also designed to prevent unauthorised access to or disclosure of personal information, he said.
Jonah Ukoh, managing director and chief executive officer of Travi Mobile Ltd., said the platform would strengthen security, improve hotel operations and create jobs nationwide.
Ukoh said development of NTEM began in 2021 and that the system had undergone pilot testing, reviews and upgrades ahead of deployment.
Under the proposed arrangement, hotels would submit guest manifests once for access by relevant security agencies, eliminating multiple submissions and improving the timeliness of information sharing, he said.
The platform’s electronic manifest control centre would enable police to verify guests’ identities, identify suspicious persons and respond promptly to security threats, Ukoh added.
He said hotel registration would include physical verification, while owners would be required to authorise onboarding to prevent fraudulent listings.
NTEM would operate independently of existing hotel management software, with compatible systems able to be integrated into the platform, he said.
Ukoh added that the system would offer hotels free exposure to travellers and simplify guest check-in procedures.