A wildlife trafficker, Shamsideen Abubakar, who was declared wanted by the Federal High Court in Lagos, has been arrested after five years on the run in a joint operation by Nigerian and international partners.
Officials from the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, the Nigeria Customs Service and Wildlife Justice Commission carried out the operation.
He had been on the run since 2021, after an operation led to the arrest of his associates, Sunday Ebenyi and Salif Sandwidi, and the seizure of 1,009.50 kilograms of pangolin scales in Lagos.
The arrest, nearly two years after a court declared him wanted, was described by authorities as a sign of long-term commitment to fighting wildlife crime.
Director-General of NESREA, Prof. Innocent Barikor, said: “NESREA is determined to ensure that Nigeria is not a safe haven for wildlife crime, as the Agency and her partners will pursue, arrest, and prosecute offenders to the full extent of the law.
We remain resolute on this, and will ensure that every seizure, every arrest, and every conviction is pursued with unrelenting commitment until this illicit trade is eradicated from our shores.”
Barikor added that the success reflects intelligence sharing and joint enforcement, warning traffickers to desist.
“The success we have achieved today is the result of strategic partnership, intelligence sharing, and joint enforcement operations.
“We salute our partners and other sister agencies while we call on the public to report suspicious activities, and urge intending traffickers to desist because the era of impunity is over.”
