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Nigeria seized pangolin scales, tusks and bones of endangered species believed to be destined for export to Vietnam, a senior customs official said on Wednesday.
Pangolin scales are traditionally used in China for a range of ailments, including treating blood clots, although there is no scientific evidence for their medicinal value.
Studies have also suggested that the pangolin may have been the intermediate host that transmitted the coronavirus to humans when it first appeared in a wet market in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
The Nigerian items concealed in a container as furniture were intercepted by customs officials at the port of Apapa in Lagos on January 21, regional comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura told AFP.
“Immediately the container was opened, logs were seen in front, and after a 100% physical examination of the container, the elephant tusk and the pangolin scales were seen hidden by the newspapers,” he said. he says.
“The items, falsely declared as furniture, included 162 bags of pangolin scales … and 57 bags of endangered mixed species of various sizes such as ivory / animal horns, lion bones and others. “, did he declare.
The total transport weighed 8,800 kilograms (19,400 pounds), he said.
Abba-Kura said the items were valued at 952 million naira ($ 2.5 million, € 2.07 million) on the black market.
He said the consignment was headed for Haiphong, Vietnam before being intercepted, adding that a suspect had been arrested for the consignment.
Nigeria is a major hub for traffickers who send African pangolin scales to Asia.
Pangolins are thought to be the most trafficked mammals in the world, accounting for up to 20% of all illegal wildlife trade.
Nigeria has made huge seizures of illegal animal parts in recent years, in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
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