Why Nigeria Customs Service Intensifies Action against Illicit Wildlife Trade

Why Nigeria Customs Service Intensifies Action against Illicit Wildlife Trade

Wildlife is undoubtedly a huge blessing to Mankind, with many benefits ranging from medicinal values, aesthetic features, labour and entertainment to preservation of cultural heritage.

Wildlife plays a significant role in the protection of the ecological stability. While plants play an essential role in balancing carbon dioxide and oxygen in the Environment and serving as food for herbivores, animals depend on each other for food and survival.

Carnivore animals like Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards depend on herbivores like antelope for survival. If antelopes become extinct in the jungle, the effect can be detrimental to the Cats’ survival.

However, Man has become a huge threat to Wildlife; the constant intrusion of Man into Wildlife due to greed that leads to illegal trade not only creates a significant threat but has led to the gradual extinction of these lovely creatures.

Deforestation and depletion of wildlife, especially endangered species, have been global concerns, with Nations collaborating and sharing intelligence and expertise that will stamp out the indiscriminating killing of endangered species.

Illegal trafficking of wildlife is a multibillion-dollar business involving the plundering of and illicit trade of live animals, plants or parts and products derived from them.

Traffickers illegally capture a diversity of irreplaceable species and sell them as meat, pets, traditional medicine, décor or in any capacity it is needed for.

Endangered animals and plants are often the target of wildlife crime because of their rarity and increased economic value. Two such animals are pangolins due to their scales and elephants due to their ivory.

CUSTOMS UNCOVERS WILDLIFE CRIMES

According to UNODC’s World Wildlife Crime Report 2020, Nigeria has evolved into a primary transit hub for trafficking illicit wildlife products, including pangolin scales, ivory and other protected species from Eastern and Central Africa, arriving in the country through its borders.

However, the Nigeria Customs Service has stepped up enforcement actions against illicit trafficking of wildlife and forestry products.

Several large-scale seizures of wildlife and forest products took place in 2021. In January 2021, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) intercepted a container of mixed wildlife products at the Apapa Port in Lagos. The container was loaded with 2,772 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 4,752kg; 162 sacks of pangolin scales weighing 5,329kg; 5kg of rhino horns; 103kg of skulls suspected to be of lions and other wild cats; and 76 pieces of processed timber.

In August 2021, the Nigeria Customs Service showcased sacks of different kilograms of Pangolin scales and Elephant tusks evacuated by the Nigeria Customs Service through the Customs Intelligence Unit and the Headquarters’ Strikeforce at a location on the Eastern side of Ijeoma Street, Lekki, Lagos State worth over Twenty-two Billion. The Seizure is said to be one of the biggest Wildlife Seizures so far.

In February 2022, an Elephant was found wandering in Saki, Oyo State Westen part of Nigeria by a group of Farmers; the video quickly went viral, showing the jolly elephant, as it attracted both young and old, but only to be announced dead days after.

NCS also reported yet another seizure of 14 sacks containing 839.40kgs of pangolin scales and 4 sacks containing 40 pieces of cut ivory weighing 145kgs.

In July 2022, Investigators from the Nigeria Customs Service Special Wildlife Office arrested eight Suspects in Lagos, where they were believed to be sourcing further illegal Wildlife products to Asia.

Further investigation revealed that three of the eight Suspects are Vietnamese nationals with speciality in Illegal Wildlife Trade. They were arrested with 7.1 tonnes of Pangolin scales and 850 kg of ivory.

In July 2023, the Nigeria Customs Service arrested three persons allegedly involved in illegal wildlife activities around the Nigeria-Cameroon border.

In a statement, the Wildlife Conservative Society in Calabar, Cross River State, said the NCS made the arrests following a series of intelligence-led operations they supported.

The statement informs that one of the suspects was apprehended in Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State, with four sacks of ivory weighing 89kg.

Customs in Murtala Muhammed Airport Command said from the period of January – to July 2023, it made a seizure of six packages of suspected Dried Shark Fins with an FOB Value of 221,885,769.02 and twenty-five packages of suspected Dried Donkey Genitals with an FOB value of 1,010,372,761.98 bringing it to a Total of 1,232,258,531.

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Muhammed Sani Yusuf, during a press briefing, said, “The suspects in connection with this illegally intended Export have been arrested, and investigation is ongoing.

“These items were seized mainly because of various infractions on Export guidelines and failure to comply with CITES Law on endangered species as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act.“ he added.

CONCERNS RAISED AGAINST WILDLIFE CRIMES

Wildlife experts say if proper care is not given to Wildlife, in the future, only pictures will be used to describe wild animals to the next generation.

Wildlife trafficking undermines and threatens the ability and efforts of states to manage their natural resources. It can result in severe economic losses, particularly affecting developing countries that rely on revenue generated by legal trade. Forest crime threatens rural livelihoods where people’s subsistence and income depend on wildlife, including those based on ecotourism.

Wildlife maintains balance in ecosystems. If Wildlife trafficking is not curtailed, the stability and balance it brings to the environment will be lost in no time.

CUSTOMS PARTNERS WJC TO FIGHT WILDLIFE CRIMES

The Nigeria Customs Service, through its numerous seizures of Wildlife, has proved its continuous fight as stated in Section 245 (1) of the NCS Act, 2023 and also under Export Prohibition Schedule VI of the extant Common External Tariff, which prohibits their exportation.

More so, Nigeria is a signatory to the CITES convention; hence, it cannot be used as a transit hub or illegal Wildlife Market.

To strengthen its capacity in the fight against Wildlife crimes in Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service, in 2021, signed a co-operational agreement with the Wildlife Justice Commission.

This partnership requested ongoing support from the WJC to enhance the efficiency of the Customs Intelligence Unit, the umbrella unit for the NCS Special Wildlife Office, and this support has recorded outstanding results listed below, for which both organisations and the world are proud.

Between July 2021 and now, 9 Illegal Wildlife enforcement operations have been carried out jointly, producing seizure of Over 10,819.48 kilograms, 21 persons arrested out of which 8 are convicted already and others in trial, in Nigeria Federal High Court.

Beyond these arrests, the WJC supported with the provision of operational support, which resulted in the following: First DNA analysis on seized wildlife, forensic examination for mobile phones to support Wildlife investigation, holding workshop for NCS legal department in September 2022 where NCS Legal Advisor led the team of prosecutors on the current wildlife cases, going through all the case files, available evidence and the expert witness for use in prosecutions and similar evidence that is available to other Nigerian agencies such as EFCC and NFIU.

The procurement and installation in 2023 of an iBase (intelligence database) NCS Intelligence HQ to consolidate the intelligence from all wildlife cases to proactively target, investigate and further arrest Wildlife criminals.

In view of the above, The Acting Comptroller-General of Customs and his management team commended the support provided by the Wildlife Justice Commission and its donors, for which NCS has successfully disrupted Wildlife trafficking and illegal Wildlife trade in Nigeria.