By Ibrahim Garba
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Area Command, has intercepted a consignment of allegedly trafficked wildlife and arrested three suspects in an intelligence-led operation along the Kano-Daura Road.
In a statement issued to Prime Time News in Kano on Thursday, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs Tahir Balarabe, said the operation, conducted at about 8:30 p.m. on August 25, 2026, led to the recovery of 48 animals and birds, including chimpanzees, baby gorillas, caracal wild cats, patas monkeys and greater bustards.
The interception was carried out pursuant to Section 55(1)(i) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Speaking during the formal handover of the intercepted wildlife on Thursday, the Acting Deputy Comptroller, Enforcement, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Muhammad Zanna, who represented the Acting Customs Area Controller, Kano/Jigawa Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Usman Adamu, said the operation followed credible intelligence received by the command.
Zanna said the patrol team intercepted the consignment and apprehended the three suspects after acting on the intelligence.
“Our patrol team acted on credible intelligence at about 8:30 p.m. on August 25, 2026. The team intercepted the endangered wildlife and apprehended three suspects along the Daura-Kano Road,” he said.
He disclosed that the suspects allegedly made several attempts to bribe the officers to facilitate the movement of the animals and secure their release, but the officers resisted the inducement.
According to him, the professionalism and integrity displayed by the patrol team helped to disrupt an illegal supply chain involved in the trafficking of endangered wildlife.
“This gallant effort has disrupted this supply chain and will play a huge role in reducing the trafficking of endangered wildlife,” Zanna said.
He said physical examination of the intercepted consignment revealed four caracal wild cats, four chimpanzees, two baby gorillas, seven red-coloured patas monkeys, two galagos, commonly known as bush babies, one honey badger, two albino alligators, six rock fowls, one civet cat and 19 greater bustard wild birds.
The animals and the three suspects were subsequently handed over to a representative of the Special Wildlife Office at NCS headquarters for further investigation and prosecution.
Zanna commended the officers involved in the operation for their courage, vigilance and professionalism, noting that their refusal to compromise the operation demonstrated the Service’s commitment to enforcing Nigeria’s laws against wildlife trafficking.
He also expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the NCS management for their continued support toward strengthening border security and combating the illicit trafficking of endangered wildlife.
The Kano/Jigawa Area Command, he said, would continue to collaborate with relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to prevent wildlife trafficking and protect Nigeria’s biodiversity.
He warned individuals and criminal networks engaged in the illegal wildlife trade that the Service would intensify enforcement operations against activities capable of threatening the country’s wildlife and ecological heritage.