Customs intercept live pangolins, intensify crackdown on wildlife trafficking
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘B’, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has intensified its crackdown on wildlife trafficking, recording another major interception of live pangolins along the Kano–Takai–Jigawa
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘B’, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has intensified its crackdown on wildlife trafficking, recording another major interception of live pangolins along the Kano–Takai–Jigawa road.
The latest operation according to a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday by the FOU’s Acting PRO, Mohammed Balarabe, took place on March 26, 2026, at about 1:00 p.m., marking the second of such seizure within two weeks, following an earlier interception on March 12, indicating a surge in enforcement activities by the unit.
According to the statement, the seizures were carried out in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global treaty to which Nigeria is a signatory, aimed at ensuring that international trade does not threaten the survival of endangered species.
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According to the Customs, operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a suspicious vehicle during a routine patrol along the busy axis and discovered the endangered animals concealed within it.
Authorities said all the rescued pangolins from both operations have been transported to the FOU Zone ‘B’ headquarters in Kaduna for documentation and subsequent handover to appropriate wildlife conservation agencies.
“The Comptroller of the Unit, Aminu Sule, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incidents, with a view to dismantling the trafficking network behind the illegal trade.
“Sule said the frequency of the interceptions within a short period underscores the unit’s intensified surveillance, warning that the zone would not serve as a safe corridor for traffickers of endangered species,” the statement read.
Pangolins are regarded as the most trafficked mammals globally, and the Nigeria Customs Service reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing environmental regulations and international obligations to safeguard the country’s biodiversity.
