The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has praised the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) successes recorded in the fight against illegal wildlife trade in the Nigeria-Cameroon Green Corridor.
The counter wildlife trafficking adviser with the WCS in Calabar, Elisha Bello, said the fight has been making remarkable progress recently.
He said, “I am overjoyed by this news and would like to congratulate the Nigeria Customs Service on the arrests made. We look forward to hearing more about the outcome of the prosecution as well as to further collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service.”
According to Bello, the successes are recorded under a project funded by the UK Biodiversity Challenge Fund, ‘Tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade in the Nigeria-Cameroon Green Corridor.’
As part of the grant, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been providing training to the Nigeria Customs Service and to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to help raise awareness of the illegal transboundary wildlife trade between Cameroon and Nigeria.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has since conducted a series of intelligence-led operations supported by WCS. As a result, two important arrests were made last month in the Nigeria-Cameroon transboundary region.
One suspect was apprehended in Jimeta, Yola with four sacks of ivory weighing 89 kg. Two suspects were arrested later the same month in Sangere, Girei LGA of Adamawa State with five sacks of pangolin scales and claws weighing 216 kg.
These are the first known arrests of wildlife traffickers in the transboundary region. All three suspects are currently facing prosecution by the Nigeria Customs Service.
