Francis Omotosho (ANLCA Member)
Hacking of Customs brokers' password on the Nigeria Customs Service system platform has become a nightmare. The Nigeria Customs Service should be blamed, because they ought to have stepped up additional verification secret code only known to the broker on the Nigeria Customs platform apart from the password given to them before gaining final entrance into the platform. The customs brokers also need to be security conscious when using their password in any public DTI.
Frank Ukor (Ex-president, AREFFN)
I do not want to blame any person, but the Customs' authorities should look inwards and fish out those giving their passwords to fraudsters. Yes, they are responsible for the hacking of their system. The only way to curtail this is by disciplining those who purposely or carelessly give out or expose their passwords.
Joel Nwosu (Director General, ANLCA)
I will rather blame the society than the Customs Service the more, wherein decent and virtuous living is rather a taboo than the usual norm.
In this day and age where flashy cars and bogus life styles among the youths, often earned through illegitimate means is the in-thing, who would want to be ordinary now.
If the society is not this decadent, what on earth will make you hack into a system you are not legitimately authorized to operate on.
Ugochukwu Nnadi (Deputy President, NAGAFF)
It is difficult to hack somebody’s password because even if you put your password, if you don’t place your fingerprint, you cannot access the system, if you put in your password, there is a thumbprint verifier, I am just hearing for the first time that the customs system was hacked, I believe it is very difficult, it is not impossible, but with the number of checks that have been put in place, especially with this NICIS 2, you cannot access the system unless you put your thumbprint, but I am sure that the internet fraudsters might have got a way of bypassing that thumb-printing portal. IT experts can conveniently do it; in that case, it is not the fault of the customs if the system is hacked, because on their own they have put in place series of control measures.
Uche Ejesieme (PRO, Tin Can Customs Command)
Evidentially speaking, the issue of hacking and the activity of internet fraudsters and scammers cannot be over emphasized. However, with this NICIS 2, it may have been possible under ASYCUDA ++ or NICIS 1, but with this NICIS2, it is like you and your international passport, it comes with biometrics, so for now, we happy to note that we have not had anything like that since the NICIS 2, we have not had issues of hacking again. Yes, it may have happened during the old era, but now, it is not possible.
Prince Adeniyi Ajayi (VP, NCMDLCA)
It is a two-way thing, if you don’t have a buyer there won’t be a seller. So customs on their own part accommodated fraudsters and hackers to come into their own system, if not, there is no way an agent can do anything with the system. Customs officers are part of the hacking, they originated it and then invited greedy agents to come and be part of it.
Stanley Ezenga (NAGAFF P.R.O)
Every system has its security code, so customs being a federal government agency saddled with the responsibility of revenue collection for the nation is supposed to have adequate security for all its websites. Besides, it is also possible that it is the cat in the house that will tell the ones outside that there is meat in the house. So, I am sure that for any hacking, there must be a compromise from an insider. As far as I am concerned, customs are to be blamed if there system is hacked, because they are supposed to have adequate security for their systems.
Mr. Muda Yusuf (DG, LCCI)
Hacking into customs website is a criminal offense, they should just investigate and find out who is responsible and sanction them appropriately, it is pure criminality. It is the investigation that will reveal who is responsible, when you investigate, you will find out that it could be an insider or outsider or anybody. It is the investigation that will determine, you cannot just sit down and accuse anybody, when they investigate they will find out who is responsible.
Dr. Ruben Ovai (Rector, Starz Maritime)
There is a saying that if a thief comes into your house, it may be that you are not keeping watch on your properties very well, but you want to hold an outsider responsible. So the customs needs to build more security into their website. If you build a website, you should find a way of securing it just like your house. You don’t lock the gate of your house and there is no security there and tomorrow you want to hold another person responsible, the customs should do their homework.
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