The consultant of the United Nations Workplace on Medicine and Crime, Oliver Stolpe, mentioned one of many findings of the 2023 wildlife chapter of UNODC's Organized Crime Risk Evaluation for Nigeria confirmed that Nigeria is a significant transit hub and consolidation level for numerous types of unlawful trafficking in Nigeria. wildlife and forest merchandise.
Stolpe additionally mentioned that between 2011 and 2020, there are greater than a thousand information displaying that Nigeria is a supply, transit or vacation spot nation, or that the perpetrator was a Nigerian nationwide.
Stolpe mentioned this on Tuesday at an occasion organized by the Federal Ministry of Atmosphere to commemorate the 2024 World Wildlife Day and current the findings and proposals of the Worldwide Consortium for Combatting Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Evaluation for Nigeria.
World Wildlife Day is noticed on March 3 yearly to have a good time and acknowledge the distinctive function and contribution of wildlife to individuals and the planet.
The WWD 2024 theme 'Connecting Individuals and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation' highlights the essential function of know-how in defending wildlife.
The ICCWC Toolkit Evaluation examines the effectiveness of the authorized and regulatory setting, in addition to the institutional capacities of specialist legislation enforcement, prosecution and the judiciary to stop, detect, examine, prosecute and adjudicate crimes towards wildlife and forests .
Stolpe mentioned: “As we remind ourselves of the significance of conserving and defending Nigeria's wealthy biodiversity, I wish to share a few of the key findings from the Wildlife Chapter of UNODC's Organized Crime Risk Evaluation for Nigeria, revealed in 2023, in call to mind. a significant transit hub and consolidation level for numerous types of unlawful wildlife and forest merchandise commerce, particularly pangolins, ivory and rosewood.
“These merchandise come from Nigeria in addition to different nations within the area together with Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Ivory Coast and the Republic of Benin. In response to UNODC's World Wildlife Seizures Database, between 2011 and 2020, there are greater than 1,000 information displaying Nigeria as a supply, transit or vacation spot nation, or the place the perpetrator was a Nigerian nationwide.
“Whereas the great work of the Nigeria Customs Service has elevated the variety of seizures at Nigeria's land, sea and airport border posts, two-thirds of all seizures involving Nigeria had been reported by the authorities of different nations. This implies that interception capabilities nonetheless must be strengthened, whereas improved info sharing and cooperation with related authorities in nations of origin, transit and vacation spot present alternatives for intelligence-led operations and parallel and even joint investigations to detect and examine smuggling networks. dismantle.”
He famous that the report reveals that elevated enforcement actions at Apapa Port could also be accountable for merchants now more and more utilizing different Nigerian ports.
“The report additional identifies border cities similar to Gaya in Niger, situated near the borders of each Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, as a strategic location the place wildlife merchandise similar to elephant ivory and pangolins are stored earlier than being imported into Nigeria. Traffickers reap the benefits of the festive and harvest seasons to move these unlawful wildlife merchandise, as authorities are much less more likely to search vehicles throughout these high-volume intervals, when massive portions of animals and meals should attain their locations rapidly.
“One other discovering from the research means that armed teams are more and more concerned in unlawful logging and trafficking, with 9 rangers dropping their lives in violent encounters with people concerned in unlawful logging within the Gashaka-Gumti Nationwide Park. “Total, it seems that unlawful logging actions proceed regardless of the suspension of Nigeria-Nigeria rosewood commerce in 2018,” he added.
He said that additional steps are wanted to sort out the unlawful commerce in wildlife and forest merchandise.
In the meantime, Atmosphere Minister Balarabe Lawal mentioned there’s a want to acknowledge the significance of deploying digital options to handle the myriad challenges going through the planet's ecosystems and fight the unlawful wildlife commerce, restrict habitat loss and tackle the impacts of local weather change.
Lawal mentioned: “By utilizing revolutionary options, we’re not solely growing our capability to guard endangered species, but in addition selling better connectivity between individuals and the planet they name dwelling.
“Digital conservation transcends geographic boundaries and promotes international collaboration and data alternate amongst scientists, conservationists and communities all over the world. By harnessing the collective energy of know-how, we will unite in our efforts to guard biodiversity and guarantee a sustainable future for generations to return
“Allow us to reaffirm our commitments as we replicate on the which means of World Wildlife Day, to unleash the transformative potential of digital innovation in conservation. Allow us to attempt collectively to bridge the hole between humanity and nature, recognizing that our future is intimately intertwined with the well-being of the pure world.”
Nonetheless, the minister referred to as on everybody to concentrate on the constraints and potential dangers of digital preservation.
For his half, the Conservator Normal of the Nationwide Park Service, Dr. Ibrahim Goni, that there’s a have to scale up the combat towards wildlife crime and human-induced species decline.
Goni, represented by the company's Assistant Conservator Normal Mohammed Kabir, mentioned: “You’ll agree with me that a few of our protected and conserved areas that host a variety of those distinctive pure assets face safety challenges similar to banditry. , kidnapping, cattle rustling and different crimes.”
