CUSTOMS INTERCEPTS THREE LIVE PANGOLINS IN LAGOS ANTI-SMUGGLING OPERATION
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja, says it has intercepted three live pangolins during an anti-smuggling operation within its area of responsibility.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Hussaini Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Abdullahi said the interception occurred on Monday morning when officers, acting on credible intelligence, discovered a sack containing the endangered animals concealed in a wire-mesh cage.
“Upon sighting the Customs patrol team, the suspected traffickers abandoned the consignment and fled into the surrounding swamp, leaving behind the animals,” he said.
The Acting Comptroller of FOU Zone A, Oladapo Afeni, described the interception as a significant milestone in the Service’s ongoing campaign against wildlife trafficking, smuggling and other transnational organised crimes.
Afeni, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Enforcement at the unit, Oluwaseun Oguntuase, commended the operatives for their vigilance and prompt response.
He said the operation demonstrated the unit’s determination to “protect Nigeria’s biodiversity and disrupt criminal networks exploiting the country’s borders and waterways.”
The acting comptroller warned smugglers and their collaborators that the unit would intensify patrols, intelligence-driven operations and inter-agency collaboration across its area of responsibility.
He also reaffirmed the commitment of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the Service to securing Nigeria’s borders, protecting endangered species and supporting national and international efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade.
Pangolins are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), while illegal trade in the animals remains a major threat to wildlife conservation.
The Service warned that individuals involved in the smuggling, possession, transportation or commercialisation of endangered species risk prosecution and severe penalties under applicable Nigerian laws.
To ensure their safety and welfare, the three rescued pangolins have been handed over to the Greenfingers Wildlife Initiative Centre for safekeeping, rehabilitation and appropriate management.
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