…Intensifies Crackdown on Wildlife Trafficking

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

ABUJA — The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a container loaded with 10,603 male donkey genitals along the Kaduna–Abuja Expressway, in a major operation against illegal wildlife trafficking.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday. Represented by the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abdullahi Maiwada, Adeniyi said the seizure was made following credible intelligence and coordinated surveillance by the Customs Special Wildlife Office (SWO) and the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU).

The interception occurred on Friday, June 5, 2025, at approximately 9:00 p.m., further exposing how wildlife trafficking syndicates exploit Nigerian trade routes.

Following due documentation, the consignment was handed over to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), in line with inter-agency protocols and environmental laws.

The Customs boss clarified that the seizure is not an isolated case. Over the past year, NCS has disrupted several major wildlife trafficking operations, including:

Recovery of six African Grey Parrots and the arrest of a suspect in Kano (December 2024).

Interception of live pangolins, Mona monkeys, Tantalus monkeys, a baby baboon, and an African Grey Parrot at Lagos Airport (May 2025).

Seizure of 213 parrot heads, six eagle heads, and 128 hornbill heads in Cross River State.

Rescue of tortoises in Oyo State (January 2025).

Recovery of 119.4kg of pangolin scales in Calabar, and 120 African Grey Parrots in Adamawa State.

Adeniyi reaffirmed Customs’ commitment to protecting endangered species and enforcing Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

He emphasized that wildlife trafficking often intersects with organized crimes such as money laundering, arms smuggling, and illicit currency flows. “This is a matter of national importance, not just ecological. It’s part of a broader criminal economy we must dismantle,” he stated.

The Customs Service, he said, has deepened its collaboration with global and local organizations, including the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Focus Conservation, Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), INTERPOL, and Nigerian security agencies like the NDLEA, EFCC, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Head of the Special Wildlife Office, Assistant Comptroller Samaila Mani, provided additional details, noting that between December 2024 and June 2025, the SWO intercepted:

6,087.9 kg of Pangolin scales

4.15 kg of worked ivory

157 live African Grey Parrots

20 green parrots

4 live Senegal parrots

2 budgies

6 live monkeys

4 live pangolins

3,022 donkey skins

37 taxidermies

16 zebra skins

10,603 male donkey genitals

He said more than 10 suspects had been arrested, with one conviction secured and several prosecutions ongoing.

Mani concluded, “We remain committed to protecting Nigeria’s biodiversity and ending the illegal trade that threatens our wildlife and national integrity.”