The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, says it intercepted three live pangolins during an anti-smuggling operation within the zone.
The Unit’s Public Relations Officer, Hussaini Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
“Upon sighting the Customs patrol team, the suspected traffickers abandoned the consignment and fled into the surrounding swamp, leaving behind the animals,” Abdullahi said.
Abdullahi said the animals were intercepted on Monday morning after officers, acting on credible intelligence, stopped a sack containing the endangered species hidden inside a wire mesh cage.
Acting Comptroller of FOU Zone ‘A’, Oladapo Afeni, described the seizure as a major success in the Service’s ongoing fight against wildlife trafficking, smuggling and other cross-border crimes.
Afeni, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Enforcement, Oluwaseun Oguntuase, praised the officers for their alertness and quick action.
He said the operation shows the unit’s determination to “protect Nigeria’s biodiversity and break criminal networks using the country’s borders and waterways.”
Afeni warned smugglers and their accomplices that FOU Zone ‘A’ will sustain aggressive patrols, intelligence-led operations and synergy with other agencies across its area of coverage.
He restated the commitment of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the Service to securing Nigeria’s borders, safeguarding endangered species and supporting both local and global efforts to stop illegal wildlife trade.