The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has reinforced Nigeria’s campaign against wildlife trafficking by providing essential monitoring and enforcement equipment to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
Prof. Aliyu Jauro, Director General of NESREA, emphasized the necessity of modern tools to combat the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by wildlife traffickers. The donated real-time equipment is expected to significantly enhance wildlife monitoring, investigation, intelligence gathering, and enforcement activities, as well as facilitate data management and transmission.
Jauro reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to eradicating wildlife crimes, citing the recent destruction of seized wildlife stockpiles as a deterrent to perpetrators and a signal of the country’s zero-tolerance stance on such offenses. Stringent border checks have also been implemented to thwart illegal wildlife shipments passing through Nigeria.
Expressing gratitude to UNODC, Jauro outlined plans to deploy the donated gadgets to NESREA’s Zonal and State Field Offices, particularly in identified trafficking hotspots.
Folusho Adeleke, Programme Officer for UNODC, lauded Nigeria’s efforts in curbing wildlife crime and pledged ongoing support to NESREA as the designated enforcement authority under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
The equipment donation includes GPS trackers, digital binoculars, video cameras, laptops, desktops, weighing scales, walkie-talkies, footwear, magnifying lenses, digital camera binoculars, calipers, among others. This initiative marks a significant step forward in Nigeria’s fight against wildlife trafficking, bolstering international conservation efforts.
