HARDS KNOCKS FOR ILLEGAL BORDER TRADERS, GONI CAUTIONS THE PUBLIC AS ENDANGERED PARROTS WERE RECOVERED
Oru Leonard
The Conservator General of the National Park Service (NPS), Dr Ibrahim Musa Goni has advised the public especially forest poachers to desist from the had or face the law.
The Conservator General of the National Park Service (NPS), Dr Ibrahim Musa Goni, gave the warning on Tuesday in his office while receiving a parrot confiscated at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Logos by the men of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service.
Dr Goni said the Federal Government of Nigeria will tighten noose on the perpetrator of illegal border trade and trafficking of wildlife animals especially parrots which is recognised as one of the highly endangered species in the first schedule of the Endangered Animal Species Act, 2016.
“President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2016, reviewed and signed the CITES Act into law which has given additional powers to the National Park Service, Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service and others to fight animal trafficking in country.
“CITES Act 2016 has enable us to come together for inter-agency synergy which has yielded presentation of this parrot to the National Park Service for rehabilitation and Keep”, Goni said.
Highlighting the economic importance of the bird, Dr. Goni said: “parrot is a bird of indicator, it tells you about time and environment. It is a bird of pride and guards because it mimics, that is the essence most people keep parrot as pet.’’
He added that parrot was highly trafficked for economic importance of its feathers and organs for medicinal uses in many cultures across the world.
He noted: “the Endangered Animal Species Act, 2016 is the law established to check illegal trade of birds, elephant, pangolin, lion and other animals in Nigeria. The Act enables us to fight animal trafficking in the Country.”
The CG warned that there was no more room for illegal wildlife traffickers in Nigeria because “no matter how best you try to beat the system, the system will always catch up with you”.
Speaking, Director-General of Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, said he has positioned his officers across the borders to track and confiscate animals that are transported without permit.
Represented by Dr. Yunusa Idris Dakat, Director Animal Quarantine Service, Dr. Isegbe said: “This parrot was confiscated at Murtala Muhammad International Airport Lagos because the person in it possession didn’t have the CITES Permit that can allow him to move the animal abroad.”
He added that foreigners are conniving with criminal elements in Nigeria to perpetrate illegal animal trade such as parrot that is one of the endangered species.
Conservator General of the National Park Service, Director Animal Quarantine Service, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, Dr. Yunusa Idris Dakat, Ibrahim Musa Goni, Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service
Contributions: Daily Commerce
