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Wildlife Trafficking Flops As NESREA Receives Pangolins From AkwaIbom, Kano

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
In what appeared to be a flop against wildlife trafficking, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has received pangolins from AkwaIbom and Kano States. 

To this end, officers of the Kano/Jigawa Area Command of the Nigerian Customs Service handed over one dead and two live pangolins suspected to be part of an illegal wildlife trade, to officials of the agency led by an Assistant Director, Mr. Ismaila Thoulut Anamoh.

The pangolins were subsequently taken to Kano Zoological Garden by NESREA officials and received by the representative of the Kano State Zoological and Wildlife Management Agency (KAZOWMA), Hajiya Hafsah Bello Adam. 

In Akwa Ibom, a local hunter known as Imo Etim, whose traps caught two pangolins instead of the grass-cutters he intended, promptly notified Prof. Olajumoke Morenikeji of the Pangolin Conservation Guild Nigeria (PCGN). 

Although one of the pangolins died, Etim handed over both pangolins to the NESREA officials led by the State Coordinator, Mfon Nkanang. The two pangolins were thereafter, officially handed over to the National Park Service. 

The Director General of NESREA, Prof. Innocent Barikor said that the pangolins recently handed over to NESREA in Kano and Akwa Ibom States indicated increasing public awareness and support for wildlife conservation in Nigeria.

He commended the actions of the hunter in Akwa Ibom and the collaborative efforts of security agencies in Kano.

The DG was satisfied with the growing awareness of protected wildlife species. 

He said: "These are positive indicators of awareness on wildlife conservation. In Akwa Ibom, when the hunter noticed they were pangolins, he didn’t look for buyers. Rather, he approached the right authorities to hand over the pangolins. That is a big win for conservation efforts in Nigeria."

Barikor also attributed the successful operation in Kano to effective inter-agency collaboration in tackling wildlife trafficking, adding that such collaboration gives great hope for wildlife protection in the country.

"We know some of these traffickers  operate online through various social media platforms. What they must know is trafficking in wildlife is a criminal offence, whether carried out online or offline. It is prohibited under the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental (Control of Endangered Species in Domestic and International Trade) Regulations 2025, and we will take action against that," he said.

The DG reaffirmed NESREA’s commitment to enforcing environmental laws and protecting endangered species while urging the public to continue supporting conservation efforts by reporting wildlife crimes to relevant authorities.

This was contained in a statement by the Assistant Director of Press, Nwamaka Ejiofor on Tuesday in Abuja. 
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