The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the European Union (EU), and the Federal Government ofNigeria have underscored the need for strategic approach to effectively tackling wildlife and forest crimes.
Oliver Stolpe, Country Representative of UNODC, spoke at the inaugural ceremony of the “International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC): Analytical Toolkit Nigeria” on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Abuja where he decried the high level of environmental degradation, saying Nigeria had one of the highest rates of deforestation globally, and that, from 2002 to 2020, the country lost 14 per cent of its total tree cover.
Wildlife is not only threatened by the continuous shrinking of their habitat but also by professional poachers and local hunters.
Organised criminal trade of wildlife and forest products through Nigerian ports has created a threat to biodiversity across the entire region.
Stolpe said that not one of these developments has gone unobserved, neither by the government of Nigeria nor by the international community and he commended the adoption of the first national strategy to combat crime, the recent establishment of the wildlife enforcement task force, and efforts to review the legislative framework and boost the criminal justice system to be strategic steps taken.
Stolpe also revealed that such efforts started to bear fruits with regard to the ability of Nigerian law enforcement to seize illegally traded wildlife and forest products.
These efforts have not yet reversed the trend to put an end to the role of Nigeria, as a regional hub for the illegal trade in wildlife and forest products.
The legal framework continues to evidence gaps as concerns the penalties foreseen by law and recent cases suggest that investigators, prosecutors and judges appear to require further capacities and resources to mount an effective and credible justice response when organised crime is involved.
Also speaking at the event, Samuela Isopi, Ambassador of the EU to Nigeria, described the event as an urgent step for the survival of not just the animals to be protected, but humans.
Isopi, represented by Dr Sobri Mekaoui, Programme Officer, EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, urged stakeholders to work closely together at the country level for the benefit of Nigeria and humanity.
