The interception of a large consignment of endangered and protected wildlife along the Kano-Daura corridor has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s growing exposure to international wildlife trafficking networks, as enforcement agencies intensify efforts to prevent the country from being used as a transit route for illegally traded animals.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Area Command, said it intercepted the consignment and arrested three suspects during an intelligence-led operation along the Kano-Daura Road.
The seizure comes against the backdrop of a series of wildlife trafficking cases recorded across Nigeria and other African countries in recent months, highlighting the increasingly transnational nature of the illegal trade.
In July, Customs operatives in Kano rescued a baby gorilla and arrested a suspected wildlife trafficker during a targeted operation in Kofar Mata. The operation, carried out by the NCS Special Wildlife Office in collaboration with conservation partners and the Kano/Jigawa Area Command, was said to have disrupted an illegal primate trafficking network.
Earlier in March and April, Customs also intercepted live pangolins being transported along the Kano-Jigawa axis, indicating that northern Nigeria’s road corridors are being used by traffickers moving protected species.
The latest operation, according to the command, involved animals suspected to have been destined for illegal trade and potentially onward movement outside Nigeria.
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Tahir Balarabe, Public Relations Officer of the Kano/Jigawa Area Command, said the operation followed credible intelligence and was conducted in accordance with Section 55(1)(i) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Muhammad Zanna, Acting Deputy Comptroller of Enforcement, said Customs patrol officers intercepted the consignment and arrested the three suspects after identifying the animals.
He said the suspects allegedly attempted to bribe the officers to secure the release of the consignment, but the officers rejected the attempts.
“Our patrol team intercepted the endangered wildlife and apprehended three suspects. Commendably, our officers resisted multiple attempts at bribery. This gallant effort has disrupted the supply chain and will help reduce trafficking of endangered species,” Zanna said.
A physical examination of the consignment, he said, revealed a wide range of wildlife, including four caracal wild cats, four chimpanzees and two baby gorillas.
The consignment also contained seven patas monkeys, two galagos, commonly known as bush babies, one honey badger, two albino alligators, six rock fowls, one civet cat and 19 greater bustard wild birds.
The scale and variety of species involved underscore the organised nature of wildlife trafficking, with different animals often sourced from different locations before being moved through transit routes to domestic or international markets.
Nigeria has increasingly featured in international efforts to disrupt wildlife trafficking networks, particularly the illegal trade in pangolin scales and other protected species. In 2024, Customs said more than 2,000 kilogrammes of pangolin scales were seized in a joint operation involving the Kano/Jigawa Command and the Wildlife Justice Commission.
Customs also reported seizures involving pangolin scales, African grey parrots, monkeys, gorilla parts and other wildlife products in separate operations across the country.
The problem is not restricted to Nigeria. In South Africa, authorities this month arrested two Thai nationals in separate incidents involving hundreds of eggs believed to have come from protected parrot species. The cases demonstrate how wildlife trafficking networks operate across borders and exploit international transport routes.
Globally, wildlife trafficking has become a major transnational organised-crime concern, with illegal trade estimated at billions of dollars annually. Nigeria has been identified as an important trafficking route, particularly for pangolins, which are moved through West and Central Africa to international markets.
Environmental authorities have consequently increased collaboration with Customs and conservation organisations. In June, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), working with Customs and the Wildlife Justice Commission, arrested four people in Lagos and Ogun states in connection with suspected wildlife crime.
The latest Kano seizure therefore provides another indication that enforcement efforts are increasingly shifting from isolated seizures to intelligence-led attempts to disrupt the networks behind the trade.
Zanna said the three suspects and the recovered animals had been handed over to the Special Wildlife Office at the NCS headquarters for further investigation and prosecution.
He commended Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller-General of Customs, and the management of the service for supporting the command’s anti-smuggling operations.
He said the command would continue working with relevant agencies and conservation stakeholders to disrupt wildlife trafficking and protect Nigeria’s biodiversity.
The development also places renewed attention on the Kano-Daura corridor, which connects important commercial routes in the North and could be exploited by traffickers seeking to move prohibited goods towards border communities and onward international destinations.
For conservation authorities, the concern extends beyond the immediate seizure. The removal of breeding animals, particularly young primates, from the wild can weaken already vulnerable populations, while the movement of live animals across borders creates additional risks for their survival and welfare.
The Customs operation, officials said, is therefore not only an anti-smuggling intervention but also part of Nigeria’s broader obligation under CITES to prevent illegal international trade from threatening the survival of protected wildlife species.
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