By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
Growing public awareness and stronger inter-agency collaboration are helping to curb wildlife trafficking in Nigeria, following the rescue and handover of several pangolins in Kano State and Akwa Ibom State.
The Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Innocent Barikor, said the incidents reflect increasing public support for wildlife conservation, noting that citizens are becoming more willing to report and surrender protected species rather than sell them illegally.
According to a statement by NESREA’s Assistant Director (Press), Nwamaka Ejiofor, the positive developments highlight the impact of sustained awareness campaigns and enforcement efforts across the country.
In Akwa Ibom, a local hunter, Imo Etim, reportedly discovered two pangolins in his traps, which were originally set for grass-cutters. Recognising the animals as a protected species, he contacted Prof. Olajumoke Morenikeji of the Pangolin Conservation Guild Nigeria (PCGN). Although one of the animals died, both were handed over to NESREA officials led by State Coordinator Mfon Nkanang and later transferred to the National Park Service.
Similarly, in Kano, officers of the Nigerian Customs Service intercepted one dead and two live pangolins suspected to be part of an illegal wildlife trade and handed them over to NESREA officials led by Assistant Director Ismaila Thoulut Anamoh.
The rescued animals were subsequently taken to the Kano Zoological Garden, where they were received by representatives of the Kano State Zoological and Wildlife Management Agency, including Hajiya Hafsah Bello Adam.
Barikor commended the hunter’s action in Akwa Ibom and the coordinated efforts of security agencies in Kano, describing both incidents as major wins for conservation. He stressed that trafficking in wildlife, whether conducted physically or through online platforms, remains a criminal offence under Nigerian law.
He further assured that NESREA would continue to enforce environmental regulations and urged members of the public to support conservation efforts by reporting wildlife crimes to the appropriate authorities.
