CUSTOMS FOU ‘A’ INTERCEPTS FOUR LIVE PANGOLINS IN AJILETE CREEKS
CUSTOMS FOU ‘A’ INTERCEPTS FOUR LIVE PANGOLINS IN AJILETE CREEKS
By Babatunde Aremu
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A has intercepted four live pangolins in Ajilete creeks.
The operatives stopped a wooden boat conveying the endangered animals, which were found confined in wire mesh cages, indicating an organized smuggling operation ¹.
The pangolins were seized on January 15, 2026, at approximately 6:33 p.m. after a targeted nighttime patrol along the waterways of Alapa Creek, Ajilete.
The suspects abandoned the boat and the animals and fled into the creeks upon spotting the patrol team.
The seized pangolins were handed over to the Wildlife Conservation Centre on January 16, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. for safekeeping ¹.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, praised the officers for their dedication to enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). He emphasized that the interception highlights the administration’s zero-tolerance stance against activities that undermine Nigeria’s CITES compliance and economic stability ¹.
This seizure is part of the NCS’s efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and protect endangered species. The NCS has been working with international partners to strengthen law enforcement and intelligence gathering to prevent wildlife trafficking .
