Lagos: Nigeria’s Senate has passed a landmark bill imposing heavy fines and lengthy jail terms for trafficking in ivory, pangolin scales, and other endangered species.
The Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, which was approved by the lower house in May, sets penalties of up to 12 million naira ($8,200) and prison sentences of up to 10 years for offenders. The law replaces outdated provisions that previously allowed traffickers to escape with fines as low as 100,000 naira ($68) or short jail terms of just a few months.
Under the new legislation, Nigerian Customs investigators will be empowered to track financial transactions linked to wildlife crime and to search or detain aircraft and vessels transporting illegal products. Judges will also be permitted to fast-track cases and seize assets connected to trafficking.
The law extends beyond trafficking, prohibiting the pollution of wildlife habitats and the consumption of endangered species. It also aligns Nigeria’s environmental laws with international conservation treaties, allowing cooperation with global authorities and the extradition of offenders.
“This is a huge win for Nigeria and shows, without any doubt, that we remain committed to stamping out wildlife trafficking and protecting our unique fauna and flora,” said Terseer Ugbor, the lawmaker who sponsored the bill.
Conservation groups have long identified Nigeria as a major transit point for the illegal trade in African wildlife. Smuggling networks operating from the country have been linked to over 30 tonnes of ivory since 2015, and more than half of global pangolin scale trafficking between 2016 and 2019. Environmental organisations have welcomed the new law, saying it could finally help dismantle organised crime groups involved in the trade.
They have also urged President Bola Tinubu to sign the bill into law swiftly, ahead of next month’s UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) summit in Uzbekistan.
