UN Traces Back to Nigeria Half of 40 Largest Seizures of Pangolin Scales
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said in its recent report that half of 40 largest seizures of pangolin scales have been traced to Nigeria.
The UNODC consistently condemns the trafficking of pangolin scales through Nigerian ports, and has vowed to support the nation in tackling wildlife crime.
Last year on World Wildlife Day, UNODC raised concerns about the trend of increased trafficking in pangolins scales.
The recent UNODC wildlife crime threat assessment in West and Central Africa confirmed this trend with seizures of pangolin scales originating from or being trafficked through Nigeria escalating from approximately two tons in 2015, to close to eight tons in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and almost 24 tons in the first seven months of 2018.
The UNODC assessment shows that between 2014 and 2018, half of the 40 largest seizures of pangolin scales could be traced back to Nigeria.
There are eight species of pangolin, four each in Africa and Asia. The giant ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea), black-bellied tree pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) and white-bellied tree pangolin (P. tricuspis) are found across West Africa, including Nigeria, while the fourth African species, Temminck’s ground pangolin (S. temminckii), ranges across Southern and Central Africa.
In less than a year, more than 25 tonnes of pangolin scales and 2.5 tonnes of ivory have been seized by customs officials in Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore in shipments originating from Lagos. A further 13 tonnes of pangolin scales have been seized inside Nigeria.
In just one of these seizures, in April, Singapore Customs and the National Parks Board found 12.9 tonnes of pangolin scales, worth an estimated $38.7 million, along with 177 kilograms (390 pounds) of carved and cut-up elephant ivory worth approximately $88,500.
Pangolins have long been hunted for food and traditional medicine. They are traded openly in bushmeat markets in Nigeria. But strong demand from Asia has attracted organised criminal syndicates to set up trafficking networks in the country, and the illegal trade in pangolin parts has gone deeper underground.
Nigeria appears to be a profitable new transit point for this trade. In March 2018, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) arrested a Chinese national living in Nigeria, with 2 tonnes of pangolin scales and 218 elephant tusks in his Lagos apartment. He was the second Chinese citizen to be arrested with a large quantity of pangolin scales in Nigeria in the space of two weeks.
Pangolins of all species are protected by local laws throughout their range, and international trade of live pangolins, their scales or other body parts is prohibited under Appendix I of CITES. Today, all African pangolin species are classed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, but the upsurge in reported seizures shows that legal protections are not being enforced.
According to a statement signed by Sylvester Tunde Atere, National Project Officer, Outreach and Communications, UNODC Nigeria Country Office, Abuja, “Considering the trends of the phenomenon, it is crucial for Nigeria to strengthen its criminal justice response to tackle the illicit trafficking in wildlife and forest products.”
UNODC said until recently, wildlife crime has not been viewed as priority area of intervention in Nigeria, both by national counterparts and international partners. A 2016 World Bank report found that in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria was the third lowest recipient of international investments to fight against illegal wildlife trade, with only 0.3 million US dollars invested between 2010 and 2016. However, with the alarming trends of pangolins trafficking related to Nigeria,