Wildlife crimes: Nigeria launches reference guide for judges, prosecutors

Mohammed Abdullahi, the minister of environment, says Nigeria remains focused on tackling illegal wildlife and forest trade. 

Abdullahi, represented by Charles Ikeah, the ministry’s acting permanent secretary, spoke at the 2023 world wildlife day and the celebration of 50 years of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the launch of the rapid reference guide held in Abuja.

The guide is a collection of relevant laws about wildlife in Nigeria and an excerpt from the national guidelines for judges and prosecutors.

The minister said the federal government would continue to partner with relevant stakeholders to support initiatives aimed at the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity.

“This event is coming at such a time when efforts need to be made to restore, conserve, and sustainably manage our wildlife and biological resources. Nigeria has continued to fulfill its obligations as a signatory to CITES,” he said.

Abdullahi said the objectives of the launch include assisting wildlife crime prosecutors and investigators in determining the evidence required to build a case against those accused of wildlife crimes and forest trade as well as tackling climate change problems.

He said the guide would strengthen international cooperation among law enforcement agencies and increase the knowledge of prosecutors and investigators.

“Nigeria has taken several groundbreaking measures to tackle illegal wildlife trade. These include the watching and implementation of the national strategy to combat illegal wildlife trade, coordination of the wildlife enforcement task force, and launching of the national park forest policy by legality standards,” the minister said.

Abdullahi said the government was committed to implementing and adhering to CITES laws and regulations as well as to honoring global agreements, conventions, and treaties.

Also, Razak Adekola, director of forestry at the ministry, said wildlife crimes in the country have restricted the conservation efforts of the government and other partners in achieving sustainable forest management.

“The recognition of this feat is critical and timely, as humans cannot exist in isolation from nature. The ecosystem, economies, and societies share a strong boundary of interconnectivity, the gradual loss of important systems and their services which are super difficult to replace has detrimental effects on the budgets and can result in massive environmental crises if not properly contained,” Adekola said.

“The importance of this celebration as a member state is to raise sufficient awareness in all the nooks and crannies of the country on the need to conserve our critically endangered species and also to encourage sustainable management of protecting system biodiversity for a more balanced ecosystem.”

He said the guide would offer direction to judicial officers in the prosecution and overall justice system regarding wildlife material.