The Federal Operations Unit, Zone B, Kaduna, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has arrested a suspected smuggler with a consignment of pangolin scales valued at N3,955,596,000.00 in Kebbi State.
Zone B Controller Ahmadu Bello Shuaibu stated that the prime suspect is currently evading arrest. Acting on actionable intelligence, operatives raided a hideout known as “slaughterhouse” on the outskirts of Zuru town in Kebbi State on Friday, May 24, 2024, uncovering and confiscating the sacks of pangolin scales.
After meticulous examination and weighing, the pangolin scales amounted to 445.45 kg. “The estimated value of the seizure in the international market is N3,955,596,000.00,” Shuaibu added.
He highlighted that the pangolin species is listed as endangered and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
“As a signatory to the CITES Convention, Nigeria prohibits all forms of trading in this species, and the Nigeria Customs Service is committed to collaborating with CITES to prevent the trafficking of endangered species and safeguard them from extinction,” Shuaibu said.
