The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 22 pieces of elephant tusks worth N126.3 million and arrested four suspects in a coordinated raid across Lagos and Ogun states.
Officers of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, working with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency and the Wildlife Justice Commission, made the seizure over the weekend. The operation targeted Ofada, Mowe in Ogun State, and other locations within Lagos simultaneously.
The Customs Public Relations Officer, Hussaini Abdullahi, said the tusks weighed 130.84 kilograms and were linked to an organised wildlife trafficking syndicate operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.
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He explained that the interception followed months of intelligence gathering, surveillance, and investigation led by the FOU Zone A and the Customs Intelligence Unit with support from strategic partners.
Abdullahi confirmed that four male suspects and a vehicle were also recovered during the operation. Both the elephant tusks and the suspects remain in custody pending further investigation and prosecution.
The Customs Area Controller, Gambo Aliyu, described the seizure as proof of the unit’s commitment to enforcing national and international wildlife protection laws.
He cited Section 55 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, which prohibits illegal trade in endangered species, and Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Aliyu commended NESREA and the Wildlife Justice Commission for their role in the operation and urged the public to report suspicious shipments or anyone involved in wildlife trafficking. He warned that the service will not hesitate to prosecute anyone found violating wildlife protection laws.
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