Nigeria’s government is leaving no stone unturned to end the smuggling of endangered species such as pangolin scales and elephant tusks through its ports by notorious gangs engage in the illicit trade.
Pangolin seizure originating from the country amounts to over $478 million with the recent pangolin scales and elephant tusk worth N10 billion intercepted by the Federal Operations Unit, (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
According to a report by the thisdaylive.com, a worldwide ban on trade in pangolins was unanimously agreed to at a meeting of the 181 nations including Nigeria of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in September 2016.
Prior to the ban, China legally imported some pangolin scales, mainly from Africa, for use in traditional Chinese medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
However, to enforce the ban on the endangered animal, the officers of the FOU zone A service have made interceptions of pangolin at different locations in Lagos.
According to a document made available to THISDAY, the warehouse Operation team on February 14 evacuated Elephant tusk and pangolin scales worth N2.3 billion at a warehouse at Ikeja while on March 6, another pangolin scale was intercepted by the same team at Opebi, Ikeja.
In another operation on March 9, at another warehouse in Opebi the warehouse operation team once again intercepted N1.5 billion pangolin scales while on August 1, 21 sacks of pangolin and four pieces of elephant tusks estimated at N1.5 billion were intercepted at Oba Elegushi international market, Ajah.
However, a source who pleaded anonymity as she wasn’t authorised to speak to the media, informed THISDAY, that of the four operations carried out by the warehouse operation team under the leadership of Assistant Comptroller Mutalib Onsachi Sule, Chinese were behind the illegal possession and alleged exportation of pangolin scales in Nigeria.
The Customs Area Controller of FOU, Comptroller Mohammed Uba had at a recent press briefing commended Sule, whom he disclosed had made smuggling of pangolin and elephant tusk out of the country a tough and impossible one for Chinese nationals involved in the illegal trade in Nigeria.
The source also disclosed that the Chinese have been charged to court and have been granted bail by the court of law.
According to the source, “Since the ban on trading on pangolin, Nigeria has made the largest seizure of pangolin scales in the world with 13,203kg followed by Japan 7,000kg and all interception were done by the warehouse operations team led by Mutalib and assisted by SC Isah Adamu.”
“The seizure has raised global awareness for Nigeria zero tolerance for the exportation of the endangered species that the United Nation has indicated interest to kit Nigeria Customs for effective performance of their jobs.
“The team have been able to enforce the international convention that no trade of pangolin in any domestic or international market because the animal is considered as an endangered species and the scales cannot be got without making the animal extinct.”
Speaking on the development, a clearing agent, Adegbite Babajide commended the FOU, Zone A and the officers who made the interceptions.
Adegbite, said the warehouse officers saved Nigeria from what could have been an embarrassment in the international community.
Specifically, he said, “The warehouse Operation team should be appreciated for putting Nigeria in a world map in a positive way. They may have decided to take bribe and allow the Chinese export the contraband, but they remained selfless and patriotic to the country by arresting the Chinese and evacuating the contraband.”
He, however, suggested that the Comptroller General should give them accelerated promotion and commendation letter for their exploit.
According to a report by the ayqnews.com, the Nigerian government launched an investigation into the seizure by the Japanese Customs of about 7,100 kilogrammes of Pangolin Scales worth $450 million alleged to have originated from Nigeria.
The Minister of Environment Ibrahim Usman Jibril made this known in a statement issued by the Director of Press, Mr. Saghir el-Mohammed, while reacting to a media report on the seized items which are said to have an estimated market value of about $450 million, the second highest seizure of its kind.
He stressed that the source could not have been Nigeria as Pangolin were near extinction in the country, adding that Nigeria is being used as a transit route for illegal wildlife trade and “the image of our nation is being severed”.
Also, an air shipment of ivory and pangolin scales worth $1.3 million from Nigeria was intercepted in 2016 and the products seized by authorities at the Changi Airfreight Centre in Singapore which described the deal as illegal.
In a joint statement the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Singapore Customs said they had been working closely to detect and intercept illegal shipments of wildlife and wildlife products through Singapore. The intercepted 0.8 tonne shipment originated from Lagos and was on its way to Vientiane, Laos via Singapore.
It was learnt that the shipment was labelled “complete wigs of synthetic textile materials”, but when Singapore Customs and AVA officers inspected it, they found 255 pieces of raw elephant tusks weighing about 505kg, and pangolin scales weighing about 324kg. The shipment was seized, making the fifth largest seizure of ivory by the Singapore authorities since 2002.
