By Our Correspondent
Lagos, May 29, ’25 (TNZ) The Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2024, has successfully passed its final and third reading in the House of Representatives in Nigeria.
TheNewsZenith reports that the House is ready to send the Bill to the Senate for concurrence.
Mr Festus Iyorah, Nigeria Representative on Wild Africa, announced in a statement, circulated on Wednesday in Lagos.
Iyorah said the historic bill would enhance Nigeria’s response to serious and organised wildlife trafficking. It will also introduce stricter penalties for wildlife crime.
“It provides investigators with greater authority to probe financial transactions and conduct intelligence-led operations.
“It also seeks to empower judges to expedite wildlife cases and recover assets while also promoting international collaboration by aligning with global treaties,” TheNewsZenith quotes from the statement.
According to Iyorah, the sponsor of the Bill, Mr Terseer Ugbor, the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, said Nigeria would not tolerate the use of its borders for trafficking of illegal wildlife products.
“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.
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“By modernising our laws, we ensure the future generations will benefit from the ecological and economic value of our biodiversity.
“Nigeria emerges as a major hub for the trafficking of ivory and pangolin sales to Asian markets,” Ugbor reportedly said.
Iyorah noted that more than 30 tonnes of ivory were smuggled through the country since 2015. Over half of the pangolin scales were seized globally between 2016 and 2019.
Some environmental organisations have lauded the Bill’s progression, highlighting its potential to help tackle illegal wildlife trade.
Tunde Morakinyo, Africa Nature Investors Foundation (ANI) Executive Director, stated that the steady progress of the bill “is a testament to Nigeria’s firm commitment to strengthening wildlife governance”.
Morakinyo also said Nigeria was combating wildlife trafficking and positioning itself as a leader in conservation.
“The lawmakers and leadership of the House of Representatives deserve commendation for their vision, dedication, and commitment towards protecting Nigeria’s environment and its wildlife,” he said. (TNZ)
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