Nigeria Customs Service has in collaboration with Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) intercepted 397.5kg of pangolin scales and arrested eight suspects in connection with the seizure. Three of the arrested suspects were identified as Vietnamese, according to a statement that was issued by the customs spokesman, Timi Bomodi.
The suspects were involved in the attempted trafficking of large amounts of pangolin scales and ivories through Nigeria.
Bomodi described the arrested Vietnamese as high ranking members of a major organized crime group involved in the trafficking of ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horns and lion bones from Mozambique and South Africa through Nigeria to Vietnam. The three suspects were arrested while sourcing for pangolin scales in Nigeria, 397.5kg of which were found in their possession.
Wildlife Justice Commission is an international body which works to disrupt and dismantle networks of illegal wildlife trade.
“To further put a stop to the environmental destruction posed by these unscrupulous elements, the arrested suspects have been charged to court on various counts bordering on the illegal trade in wildlife,” the statement said.
Bomodi said initial crackdowns in 2021 had resulted in discoveries of 7.1 tons of pangolin scales and 850 kgs of ivory, all of which were seized by the NCS.
“Nigeria Customs Service would never allow perpetrators of these crimes to profit from it or escape the wrath of the law,” Comptroliler-general of customs, Hameed Ibrahim Ali, said while commending officers of the Service for their efforts in breaking the chain of illegal wildlife trade and unlawful deforestation
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