The Nigeria Customs Service has successfully carried out the largest seizure of wildlife trafficked in the country, where 1,600 exotic birds were seized at Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos in late July.
Routine cargo inspection led to the discovery of the birds, who were packed in wooden crates for illegal export.
The seized birds were mainly composed of the African grey parrot and other exotic species. Many were found dead at the spot, probably, due to bad conditions and death by suffocation.
Alive birds were handed over to the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service for appropriate treatment and examination.
This was a follow-up operation after a tip-off and surveillance by the Federal Operations Unit. In connection with the attempted smuggling of one suspect, he was arrested by the police while the rest of the gang was being traced.
The case depicts the ongoing difficulties in the enforcement of the protection of wildlife in Nigeria.
The African Grey Parrot is an endangered species as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature, thus this seizure is very essential for the conservation of nature.
Nigeria is subject to both domestic wildlife laws as well as international treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
By this seizure, Nigeria has been reaffirmed not only as the source of illegal wildlife but also as the transit of the route where traffickers target the global black markets.
The Customs Service in its statement said that it was fully committed to the step up of border patrols to avert the illegality of exports of protected species in the future.
