Customs and Environmental Agencies Seize ₦126.3m Worth of Elephant Tusks

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, in partnership with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), has intercepted 22 pieces of elephant tusks valued at ₦126.3 million.

According to an official statement released by the unit’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs Hussaini Abdullahi, four male suspects were taken into custody during the operation.

The illicit wildlife products, which weigh a combined 130.84 kilograms, were seized during simultaneous weekend raids conducted across Ofada and Mowe in Ogun State, alongside several targeted locations in Lagos. Officials noted that the market value of the haul reflects current black-market rates for illegal ivory in Asia.

The breakthrough is the result of extensive intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tracking of an organized, cross-border wildlife trafficking syndicate. The operation was spear-headed by the FOU Zone A team and the Customs Intelligence Unit, alongside their environmental and international partners. Both the recovered contraband and the suspects remain in custody pending further investigation and prosecution.

Customs Area Controller Gambo Aliyu emphasized that the seizure highlights the country’s strict enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which Nigeria is a signatory.

Aliyu noted that Section 55 (1) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 explicitly bans illegal trade in endangered species, and vowed that authorities will continue to dismantle networks trying to use the country as a transit hub for illegal wildlife trafficking.