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Nigeria Burns Massive Seized Wildlife Products
Nigeria Burns Massive Seized Wildlife Products
By: Michael Mike
Nigerian government on Monday publicly destroyed a substantial quantity of seized wildlife products including pangolin scales alongside leopard, python and crocodile skins for the first time in the nation’s history.
This is perhaps a message that the government was ready to combat wildlife trafficking and protect the nation’s biodiversity.
The incineration event took place in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, with representatives from various government agencies, local and international environmental NGOs, and wildlife conservation experts in attendance.
The incineration was done by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in collaboration with the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) Foundation, with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at an occasion where they methodically reduced a total of 3914.08 kilogrammes (nearly 4 tonnes) of seized pangolin scales and 110 kilogrammes of skins from protected species including leopard, python and crocodile to ashes.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Environment. Dr. Iziaq Salako said: “We gather here today to bear witness to a critical moment in the battle to protect our planet’s precious biodiversity. These seized items represent the past we leave behind, but the destruction signifies the future we are determined to build for our planet. The destruction of these seized items is a powerful statement of our resolve to protect our environment, conserve our wildlife, and combat the illegal trade that drives species to the brink of extinction.”
On his part, the Director General/ Chief Executive Officer of NESREA, Professor Aliyu Jauro said: “The illegal wildlife trade is a serious threat to our natural heritage and global biodiversity. Nigeria is committed to playing its part in addressing this crisis. By destroying these pangolin scales alongside leopard, python and crocodile skins, we send a strong message that illegal wildlife trafficking will not be tolerated, and we will take every measure necessary to protect our unique ecosystems and endangered species.”
Pangolins are among the most trafficked mammals in the world, partly because their scales are in great demand for use in traditional medicine in Asia, where their meat is also considered a delicacy. As pangolin populations in Asia have declined, shipments from Africa have greatly increased to meet soaring demand.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I lists all eight species of pangolins (four in Asia and four in Africa), giving them the highest level of legal protection available. However, the unlawful trade in pangolin parts has brought these scaly anteaters dangerously close to extinction. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species presently lists two of the four pangolin species found in Africa as Endangered, which indicates that they are at extremely high risk of going extinct in the wild.
Nigeria has emerged as a source and major transit hub for the trafficking of pangolin scales to Asia. According to the Wildlife Justice Commission, 55 percent of pangolin scale seizures worldwide between 2016 and 2019 were linked to Nigeria. By extension, a team of conservationists led by the University of Cambridge recently examined pangolin product seizures connected to Nigeria and discovered that shipments of pangolin products that were seized and reported by law enforcement officials between 2010 and September 2021 totaled 190, 407 kg, which came from at least 800,000 to as many as a million dead pangolins.
Director of Stockpile Management at the EPI Foundation, Ruth Musgrave said:
“Nigeria’s decision to incinerate seized pangolin scales and other skins is a shining example of a nation taking proactive measures to protect its natural heritage and contribute to the global fight against wildlife crime.”
Nigerian authorities recognize the urgency of protecting this species and have taken significant steps to address the trafficking of pangolins through its borders, including
adopting its first National Strategy to Combat Wildlife and Forest Crime. Subsequently, the government has also established the Wildlife Law Enforcement Task Force (WLETF) of which NESREA is the operational lead, working closely with the Federal Ministry of Environment to address wildlife crime in the country.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of seizures of pangolin scales and prosecution of offenders in Nigeria. The Nigeria Customs Service said that it seized 1,613 tonnes of pangolin scales in 2022 alone and detained 14 people. In May 2023, two individuals were given a four-year prison sentence for conspiring to possess 839.4 kg of pangolin scales and 145 kg of elephant tusks illegally and a clearing agent was sentenced to a six-month prison term in June for illegally possessing a container full of pangolin scales, elephant ivory, tusks, and bones.
In July, a Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced four foreigners to six years in prison for wildlife trafficking.
The Nigerian government, also through NESREA, uses the Endangered Species (Control of International Trade and Traffic) Act 2016 and the National Environmental (Protection of Endangered Species in International Trade) Regulations 2011 to tackle wildlife crime.
Founder and CEO of Wild Africa Fund, Peter Knights OBE, has this to say on the war on wildlife trafficking in the country,
“Credit to Nigeria for taking this step towards upping its game by publicly destroying these seized products. Now Nigeria urgently needs to update its outdated wildlife laws by introducing and passing the new wildlife legislation introduced last session, but delayed due to the elections. This would be the next step in a comprehensive response to reduce wildlife crime.”
Environmental organisations and wildlife advocates have praised Nigeria’s actions, hailing them as a positive step toward curbing the illegal wildlife trade. They have called for continued cooperation between government agencies, civil society, and international partners to strengthen enforcement efforts and raise awareness about the importance of preserving biodiversity.
Nigeria Burns Massive Seized Wildlife Products
News
Adamawa, Borno States’ Speakers Promises Speed Inacting Social Protection Law for Vulnerable Welfare
Adamawa, Borno States’ Speakers Promises Speed Inacting Social Protection Law for Vulnerable Welfare
By: Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
The members of Borno and Adamawa state House of Assembly promised to give speedy deliberation and passage a law for establishing Social Protection Agencies for faster wide spread welfare to destitute and vulnerable in their respective states.
The speakers of Borno and Adamawa state’s Assemblies Rt. Hon. Abdulkareem Lawal and Rt. Hon. Bathiya Wesley made the disclosure in a separate interview with our reporter in Dutse, Jigawa state capital during their learning visit on Social Protection Programme to the state.
The Borno speaker was represented by his deputy and member representing Maiduguri metropolitan State assembly constituency, Hon Kotoko Alhaji Ali promised action that would fastract an establishment of Social Protection Agency in the state.
According to him “We are here in Jigawa state to study and learn how Social protection programmes are implemented and working. We are really impressed and satisfied with the programmes’ benefits to vulnerable and less privileged people particularly people with disabilities (PWDs).”
Tokoko stated further that “it is a very good project which is dealing with poverty and support to vulnerable social economic lives. For a state like Borno where suffering for insurgency that resulted in a lot of Internally Displace People (IDP) Camps the program would help a lot improving social lives of the destitute and vulnerable”.
In his parts the speaker Adamawa state house of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Bathiya Wesley who was represented by his deputy, Honourable Muhammed Buba and member representing Dambulu state’s Assembly constituency promised all support for implementing the programme in Adamawa for the benefit of the people.
He said “for the first time I saw the people who benefited from the project and it’s positively transformed their lives during a story visit to Kiyawa here in Jigawa state. I see the real by myself and impressed with the good outcome”.
“As a member representing my constituency and public servants we will not hesitated in making move to introduce the programme and establishing the agency for effective implementation”.
Hon. Buba noted that “in this our learning visit we have visited to the Jigawa state house of Assembly and interacted with the speaker and member of the house. We opportune to collected a copy of a law established the Jigawa Social Protection Agencies. We will go and study the law and do the needful”.
Reports from the state indicated that 20 members from Adamawa and Borno state’s house of Assembly were on two day field learning visit to Jigawa state on social protection programme supported by the federal military of Budget and European Union.
Adamawa, Borno States’ Speakers Promises Speed Inacting Social Protection Law for Vulnerable Welfare
ActionAid Nigeria Demands Probe of Fraud in NELFUND Scheme
By: Michael Mike
ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has demanded the immediate investigation and suspension of all institutional heads complicit in the reported fraud in the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme.
ActionAid Nigeria in a signed statement by its Country Director, Andrew Mamedu on Wednesday said it was outraged by the revelations of systemic exploitation of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme, with over 50 tertiary institutions across the country accused of inflating fees, withholding refunds, and financially sabotaging students who sought relief through the student loan programme.
Mamedu said: “This is not merely administrative misconduct; it is corruption in education institutions at its core.”
He lamented that: “These institutions have not only betrayed public trust but have actively undermined the very ideals of transparency, equity, and social justice that education should embody. Fee hikes ranging from N2,500 to N30,000 per student may seem trivial on paper, but when calculated across tens of thousands of students, this abuse snowballs into a multi-million-naira scandal. From ActionAid Nigeria’s conversations with students, this is seemingly not an isolated incident. It is a coordinated, normalised pattern of corruption.”
He said: “This scandal is a brutal reminder that when institutions lose their soul, students become collateral damage. These are young Nigerians who turned to the government’s loan scheme out of desperation not convenience and what they got in return was exploitation. Institutions entrusted with both academic and moral leadership have shamelessly commodified education.
“ActionAid Nigeria demands the immediate investigation and suspension of all institutional heads complicit in this fraud by their respective Governing Councils and calls on the Minister of Education and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to remain silent or passive where these Councils fail to act decisively. If eventually found guilty, they must be dismissed from public service and prosecuted without delay.
“We also call on the EFCC and ICPC to move beyond mere observation or investigation and take decisive legal action”
He also noted that: “One would have thought that paying institutions directly was the more efficient and secure route to minimise risks of student misuse and ensure timely tuition payments. But once again, these public institutions have proven incapable of individual and institutional accountability, turning a system built for support into one ripe for exploitation.’’
Mamedu further said: “While ActionAid Nigeria commends NELFUND and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for taking the bold step of naming institutions involved in the mismanagement of student loan funds, naming alone is not justice. We urge that NELFUND and the Federal Ministry of Education immediately conduct independent forensic audits of all implicated schools; mandate public disclosure of how funds were received and used; ensure full refunds to all affected students; and establish student-led monitoring mechanisms to prevent future misuse.
“ActionAid Nigeria also urges the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Federal Ministry of Education to step up nationwide awareness campaigns so that students are not kept in the dark about the loans they have received, the institutions that benefited, and the rights they must now reclaim.”
Mamedu noted that: “This is about more than just student loans. We must strive to build a nation where dignity, fairness, and equal access to opportunities, services, and resources are non-negotiable. We also join our voices with activists, civil society, and concerned citizens in demanding that this scandal not be buried under bureaucracy.”
ActionAid Nigeria Demands Probe of Fraud in NELFUND Scheme
News
Alleged UK Major Arrested for Gun Running Was Never A Commissioned Officer- British High Commission
Alleged UK Major Arrested for Gun Running Was Never A Commissioned Officer- British High Commission
By: Michael Mike
The British government has said the official fingered in gun running in Delta State was never a commissioned officer of United Kingdom Army.
The Ijaw Youths Network has in an earlier statement while commending the Nigeria’s Department of State Services for the seizure of 57 AK 47s, other rifles and hundreds of ammunition in Delta State, alleged to be ferried into the country by an alleged Delta State-born UK army Major, also asked for the probe of the incident by the British government.
A spokesperson from the British High Commission on Wednesday said: “The individual identified in recent Nigerian media reporting is not a serving member of the UK Armed Forces.”
The spokesperson admitted that the individual identified did serve as a junior rank in the UK Armed Forces Reserves but was discharged, adding that whilst in the Reserves he was a junior rank not a commissioned officer.
The spokesperson noted that: “We have a common law and Data Protection Act duty to protect the personal details of our current and former employees and are therefore not able to release any additional information in this matter,” while appealing that: “We kindly request that this statement be reflected in your reporting to ensure factual accuracy.
“For future reference, please direct any inquiries related to UK personnel to the British High Commission’s Press and Public Affairs team.”
Alleged UK Major Arrested for Gun Running Was Never A Commissioned Officer- British High Commission
Adamawa, Borno States’ Speakers Promises Speed Inacting Social Protection Law for Vulnerable Welfare
ActionAid Nigeria Demands Probe of Fraud in NELFUND Scheme
Alleged UK Major Arrested for Gun Running Was Never A Commissioned Officer- British High Commission
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