Western Marine Customs Intercepts 36 Parrots From Ghana Bound Boat
... Hands Over Birds to National Park
The Western Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service has handed over 36 live African grey parrots found in a boat heading to Ghana to the National Park Service.
Speaking at a brief handover ceremony in Lagos, Controller of the Command, Comptroller Odaudu Salefu reiterated customs commitment to protect endangered species in line with the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES), which Nigeria is a signatory
Comptroller Salefu who told journalists in Lagos that a suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure, added that the birds were transported from Bayelsa and discovered in a boat berthed at a location called T-Junction, Off the Coast of Badagry at about 12 midnight on March 5, 2024
According to him, the T-Junction is a strategic link point between Nigeria and international waters and that should the birds have been taken beyond that point, they would have been deemed to have left Nigeria
He described the trade in endangered species as illegal and restated that the Western Marine Command will always be alert to prevent smuggling on the nation’s waters within its areas of responsibility.
Receiving the birds on behalf of the Commissioner of National Park, Muinat Adebayo, a Deputy Whip Superintendent of the National Park Service, thanked the customs for being vigilant in intercepting the birds from smugglers.
She said the birds would be taken to Okomu Park in Edo State where they would undergo rehabilitation before they are released freely into their natural ecosystem.
She added.
