The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has detained a wildlife smuggler in Cross River State, confiscating 346 rare and exotic bird heads, together with various other animal parts.
The individual, named Bello Abubakar, was captured by the Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone and Akwa Ibom Area Command as he crossed into the country from Cameroon.
Addressing the press in Calabar on Monday, March 24, while presenting the suspect, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Gabriel Ogbonna, disclosed that Abubakar was nabbed on March 12 at the Mfun/Ekok Joint Border Station.
The suspect admitted he acquired the goods in an open market in Cameroon and planned to market them in Nigeria.
Ogbonna explained that the confiscated items contravene international regulations as well as the NCS Act 2023, which forbids the commerce of endangered species without appropriate permits from the governor.
“On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, during standard baggage checks at the Mfun/Ekok Joint Border Station, my officers intercepted a traveler arriving in Nigeria from Cameroon,” Ogbonna stated.
“The person was discovered to be carrying 213 parrot heads, 29 packs of parrot feathers, 128 African hornbill heads, and five eagle heads. Furthermore, we seized one pack of eagle feathers, two chimpanzee heads, four chimpanzee hands, and four chimpanzee legs.”
The Customs leader stressed that the confiscation breaches international pacts, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which Nigeria is a committed member.
“Section 55 of the NCS Act 2023 prohibits the import, export, or transit of endangered species without proper permits,” he elaborated.
Ogbonna cautioned that unlawful wildlife trafficking endangers Nigeria’s biodiversity and fuels crime, economic uncertainty, and public safety hazards. He also conveyed gratitude to the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, for his guidance and organizational backing.
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