Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, have intercepted a cargo containing over 1,620 live birds being illegally exported to Kuwait.
The birds, which include Ringneck Parakeets (Parrots) and Canaries, were stopped at the airport’s cargo wing on July 31, according to the Area Controller, Comptroller Michael Awe.
“These live birds are protected species. They were not accompanied by any CITES permit,” Awe said in a statement on Monday.
He explained that Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, and must ensure that trade in endangered animals follows proper rules.
“This is a cargo that should have had permits to prove the birds were legally obtained,” he said. “It is to make sure their trade does not threaten their survival.”
Awe said the command has launched a full investigation to identify and arrest those behind the shipment.
He added that the birds would be handed over to the National Parks Service for proper care, as part of ongoing inter-agency cooperation under the leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale.
