Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has arrested three men for illegally exporting elephant tusks to Asia.
The NCS disclosed that the men were arrested at different locations in Lagos between January 25, 2024, and February 4 and 6, 2024.
The suspects were arrested for allegedly facilitating the sale and export of five pieces of elephant tusks, weighing 25.35kg, and worth about $16,000 equivalent (N23,520,000
The arrest were carried out by the Customs Special Wildlife Office, and the Customs Police Unit through an intelligence-led, joint enforcement operation with the Wildlife Justice Commission.
Nigeria is trying to protect its dwindling elephant population from rampant wildlife traffickers whose Illegal wildlife export activities contravene the Endangered Species Act and the Nigeria Customs Service Act.
“Illegal wildlife trade or trafficking of wildlife is a criminal offence punishable under law, and so Nigeria Customs Service will continue to support global efforts to fight Wildlife crime.
“The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”
Conservationists are concerned that tens of thousands of elephants are killed worldwide each year for their tusks.
They are particularly worried that in the past three decades, Nigeria’s elephant population declined drastically from an estimated 1,500 to less than 400 due to poaching for ivory, habitat loss, and human-elephant conflict.
The officer in charge of Nigeria Customs Service Special Wildlife Office, Assistant Comptroller Abim Isafiade said the Service is leaving no stone unturned in its commitment to end Illegal wildlife trade.
Isafiade disclosed that
“On January 9, 2024, Nigeria destroyed 2.5 tonnes of seized elephant tusks valued at over N9.9bn ($11.2 million).
“The Service is determined to dismantle the wildlife criminal networks operating within the country”
Despite a decade-long ban on the international trade of ivory, Nigeria has become a hub for the illegal export of animal parts from Africa whose biggest markets are said to be in Asia.
(C) ControlTV 2024
