By Wealth Oghenemaro
Nigeria has taken a major step toward curbing illegal wildlife trade and protecting its natural ecosystems, as the House of Representatives passed the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2024 through its third and final reading.
The landmark legislation now proceeds to the Senate for concurrence before being forwarded to the President for assent. Once enacted, the law promises to overhaul Nigeria’s wildlife protection framework and strengthen enforcement against trafficking networks operating within and across its borders.
The Bill introduces significantly tougher penalties for wildlife crimes, expands the investigative powers of authorities—particularly in tracing financial transactions tied to trafficking—and brings Nigeria’s laws in line with global conservation treaties. It is aimed at combating organized wildlife crime and safeguarding biodiversity for future generations.
“This Bill sends an unambiguously clear message that Nigeria will not tolerate the use of its borders for trafficking of illegal wildlife products, such as pangolin scales and ivory, to foreign markets,” said Terseer Ugbor, Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Environment and sponsor of the legislation. “By modernising our laws, we want to ensure that future generations will continue to benefit from the ecological and economic value of our biodiversity.”
Nigeria has become a major transit hub in the global illegal wildlife trade. The country has been linked to the smuggling of over 30 tonnes of ivory since 2015, and was implicated in over 50% of global pangolin scale seizures between 2016 and 2019. This troubling trend has drawn scrutiny from international conservation watchdogs and emphasized the urgent need for legislative reform.
Key provisions of the Bill include: authority for intelligence-led investigations; empowerment of judges to fast-track wildlife crime cases; provisions to recover proceeds and seize assets linked to trafficking, environmental and conservation organizations have widely praised the legislative progress.
Tunde Morakinyo, Executive Director of Africa Nature Investors Foundation (ANI), lauded the effort: “The steady progress of this bill is a testament to Nigeria’s firm commitment to strengthening wildlife governance, combating wildlife trafficking, and positioning itself as a leader in conservation.”
Mary Rice, Executive Director of the UK-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA UK), added: “EIA commends the work of Nigeria’s lawmakers in supporting this vital legislation, which demonstrates a strong commitment to regional security and dismantling international trafficking networks.”
Peter Knights, CEO of Wild Africa (WA), also hailed the Bill as: “A great step forward for Nigeria to lead the region in combating wildlife crime.”
These organizations—ANI, EIA UK, and WA—have all supported Nigeria’s anti-wildlife trafficking efforts with the backing of major international donors, including the UK Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and the Pangolin Conservation Fund.
If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2024, will mark a historic shift in Nigeria’s environmental governance—reaffirming its role as a regional leader in wildlife conservation and ecological protection.
